Complicated
by angiembabe
Summary: Anzu has finally moved to New York to pursue her dream of being a dancer, leaving her friends behind. Having missed the opportunity to tell one another how they feel, will Yugi and Anzu be able to endure their separation, or will they drift apart and move on? Set after DSOD, but does NOT contain spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

This is a new story I have been working on. It is post DSOD and highlights the problems with long distance relationships. People always say they will keep in touch when they move away, but in reality, rarely do. Can Yugi and Anzu make it? Let us find out.

This will be T rated. I do not plan to make any romance scenes explicit unless specifically requested. There will be a little swearing and innuendo though.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters. I do own the characters I have made up myself.

* * *

Complicated.

Chapter one...

This was it! The final time they would set foot in this place as students!

Yugi glanced back as they left the building following graduation. The school held a lot of memories, some good and some not so good. Apart from the first couple of months and the last six months, his Other Self had been with him throughout. But now he was about to step out of high school and into a new chapter in his life.

There were plenty of options: He was still the reigning King of Games, and for the sake of Atem, he intended to keep the title they had fought so hard for. He did not know what he wanted to do with his life in the long term, but there were plenty of options. One of his ambitions was to design a really cool game that people could play together. For now though, he would just enjoy his freedom and probably help run the game store until he decided. There was no rush.

Ya.. ha! Whooo!" As they exited the gates, Jonouchi let out a shriek and fist pumped the air. He and Honda high-fived.

"Aren't you two forgetting something? Like having to work for a living!" Ryou reminded them.

They both sagged slightly.

"Hey! Bakura, don't spoil the moment. I want to enjoy my short lived freedom." Honda did not need to be reminded that he was starting work with his father next Monday, which meant only four days of freedom!

"I won't need to work when I'm a millionaire duelist!" Jonouchi boasted.

"And how are you going to achieve that when you still don't have a working duel disk?" Anzu reminded him.

"Hey! I'll think of something! Don't you worry."

"You could always take on more paper rounds Jonouchi," Ryou suggested.

"Yeah, or my good buddy Yugi might let me borrow his duel disk?!" He sidled up to Yugi and leant on his shoulder.

"Over my dead body..." Anzu gave him a death stare and postured with her hands on her hips. "Don't you dare steal Yugi's duel disk!"

Yugi grinned sheepishly. He probably would have given in if it were not for Anzu. "Sorry Jonouchi," he gulped. "I really do need my duel disk. But I'm sure you can save up for a new one in no time when you get full time work."

"Yeah..." Jonouchi conceded. "You're right Yugi... It's your duel disk. I shouldn't have asked."

"Anyway!" Ryuji saw it as an opportunity to change the subject. "Who is up for a graduation party? Dad said we can have a private party at the cafe!"

"Yeah! Count me in. I hope you've invited plenty of girls!" Jonouchi grinned salaciously.

"Don't worry, I have invited more girls than guys. Although, I doubt any of you will get a look in with me there," Ryuji boasted.

"I doubt any girls in their right mind would come near you Jonouchi!" Anzu grimaced. "You frightened most of them off with your crudeness and lewed behaviour over the last few years!" She still recalled him trying to peek under her skirt!

"Yeah! Remember that panty tank you made out of the Janitors old broom?" Honda smirked.

"That was your idea moron! Anyway, I'm no longer that man! Meet the new, mature, gentleman Jonouchi, who treats girls with respect," he postured, making his friends groan.

"Yeah, right! You have got a long way to go to reach _my_ level of sophistication Jonouchi," Ryuji bragged.

"Well, Ryou here doesn't even need to try! The girls swarm round him like flies after a hot dog! What's ya secret man?!" Jonouchi gestured pleadingly.

"I don't really know," Ryou replied thoughtfully. "I try _not_ to encourage them but they won't leave me alone."

"Are you saying you don't like girls?!" Honda teased.

"It's not that! I don't really know. I'm not really interested in getting romantically involved with anyone at the moment."

"Meh heh, you don't prefer guys do you?!" Jonouchi nudged him and Ryou went very red.

"N.. No! Of course not!" Ryou answered, unconvincingly.

Yugi and Anzu smiled at their friends teasing each other. Anzu rubbed shoulders with Yugi and laughed. "None of them really have a clue, do they Yugi?!" She teased, hoping he would at least take her hand and show her that he did have a clue.

"N.. no, I guess not!" He scratched his head and his cheeks flushed with pink. All he could think right now was that Anzu was rubbing her body against his!

"Hey! Look at you two love birds! You taking Anzu as your date tonight Yuge?!" Jonouchi blurted, prompting several of their class mates that were nearby to snigger and send knowing looks towards them. Everyone viewed them as a couple – everyone except the couple themselves!

It was Anzu's turn to flush pink "Erm... We _are_ going together, but we are just friends."

"Yeah right!" Ryuji sniggered.

"Yeah, we're just friends," said Yugi, with a hint of disappointment. Deep down, he still felt that it was really the other Him she liked in _that_ way, while he was seen as the good friend she could trust and rely on.

"Anyway! Smell ya later. I gotta get a bunch of leaflets delivered before the party starts." Jonouchi hopped on his bicycle and rode off.

"Yeah, I better go too." Honda put his crash helmet on and climbed onto his motorbike.

"May I trouble you for a lift home?" Ryou asked innocently, pulling on the spare helmet that Honda brought with him every day, knowing that Ryou would ask for a lift home.

"Yep! I gotta fly too. Gotta get the buffet sorted and put some decorations up!" Ryuji left, leaving Yugi and Anzu to walk home alone.

"We better get going." Yugi started walking.

They walked in silence for a while, both deep in thought...

Since Atem left, Yugi had become more and more like him. From Anzu's perspective, he was becoming the perfect balance between the two – her dream man!

In the past, she had found it difficult to define her feelings: There was the kind, sweet, caring Yugi, who was fun to be around and made her feel special. Then there was edgy, dangerous Yugi who's slightly aloof nature made her nervous but also caused her heart tingle with desire. She wanted them both! But that had never really been possible, so she had bottled up her feelings and tried to keep them to herself.

Deep down, Anzu felt guilty for how that had made Yugi feel. He had expressed as much at Duelist Kingdom when she had tried to tell him it did not matter which Yugi he was because she liked both Yugi's just as much. Sadly, she had not done a very good job of convincing him.

She now knew how that must have made him feel. He was not stupid and had noticed how she had only started to be interested in him romantically because of the other Yugi. So in his mind, he was second choice.

In the end, all three had kept their true feelings to themselves for fear of damaging their friendship.

But now Atem was gone, she realised that the very man she desired all along, was right there beside her, and she did not know what to say to him!

Unfortunately, they had become so accustomed to this 'avoidance of feelings' that it was now almost impossible to tell each other how they really felt.

While Anzu was still agonising over her guilt, Yugi was pondering his own failings. He had long since forgiven her for developing feelings for his Other Self. After all, he had been rather weak and timid, until he solved the Millennium Puzzle.

His Other Self had been heroic, strong and confident – all the things Yugi wished he could be. When he thought about it, it made sense that Anzu would prefer Atem! If he was in her shoes, he would prefer Atem too!

The thing bugging Yugi now, was whether he should tell Anzu how he felt about her. She would be leaving for New York in a couple of months and the last thing he wanted to do was spring a confession of love on her and make her feel guilty about going. She had dreamed of a career in dance for as long as he had known her and there was no way he wanted to be responsible for wrecking that dream. If he truly loved her it was better to let her fly free and pursue her dreams, rather than keep her close to him. If she changed her mind and stayed in Domino because of him, she might feel resentful in the future.

If they were truly destined to be together, then maybe in a few years, once her career was established, they could start a relationship.

In no time at all, they arrived at the junction where they would separate to go to their respective houses.

"You okay?" Yugi suddenly realised that neither of them had spoken for the last ten minutes.

"Yes! Of course," she blushed. "You?"

"Yeah," he said, blushing in return. "Whelp! See you later for our date!" he winked to hide his embarrassment at calling it a date. "I will be round at about seven."

"I'm looking forward to it," she beamed happily.

"Me too," he nodded. If only he could pluck up courage to kiss her – but not here, not in public. It would not be right.

"I am glad we are going together. We could almost be a proper couple!" She giggled and tried to make it sound like she was joking, although underneath she wished they were a proper couple.

She crossed the road and then turned back and watched him appreciatively as he sauntered towards his house. If only she could tell him how she felt about him!

But it would be unfair on Yugi to string him along. She was leaving in July. It was a two year course, and once she had gained her degree in dance, she hoped to secure an apprenticeship with one of the prestigious ballet companies around the world: America, London, Switzerland or Paris... She might even become famous and end up touring the world and may not return to Japan for several years!

To ask Yugi to wait for her would be selfish. He had his own dreams and she knew Yugi well enough to know that he would put his own dreams aside so that he could help her follow her own, and she could not make him do that! She needed to allow him the freedom to move on and live his own life and to grow into the fine man he was becoming. They would always be friends and in a few years time... if they still had feelings for each other... Who knows?!

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Yugi spent ages in the bathroom getting ready.

Apart from his school uniform, he had very little else to wear, and most of what he did have in his wardrobe was now too small. Luckily, his grandfather had given him some extra money to go and buy some clothes, which of course, Anzu had helped him choose.

He had decided to wear the shirt and jeans that Anzu said looked really nice on him.

They had already been washed and while he was in the shower, his mother ironed them, ready for him to wear.

Checking himself in the mirror, he decided that he looked pretty smart. Was it vain to think he looked good? He knew what Atem would say if he was here. _"Show her your true feelings Aibou."_ He blushed slightly at the thought.

"Yugi! Are you ready yet? Anzu will be wondering where you are!" Sugoroku shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming" Yugi came running down the stairs with his new shoes in hand.

Sugoroko smirked and held up the car keys. "You don't want to keep your girlfriend waiting."

"She's not! We're not! It's not like that Grandpa!" Yugi groaned and snatched the car keys from his grandfather's hand. Sugoroku was sure he detected a little regret and frustration in Yugi's voice.

"Make sure you handle her gently," he winked.

"Grandpa!"

"I was talking about the car, not Anzu!" He chuckled.

Yugi rolled his eyes and groaned. "Thank you for letting me use the car Grandpa. I promise not to dent or scratch it." Yugi rushed to go. He was late!

"Have a lovely time this evening, Yugi." His mother came out of the kitchen, smiling proudly at her little boy, who was now so grown up!

"Thanks Mum! We will. " He picked up the neatly wrapped gift he had bought for Anzu as a going away present. He was going to wait until the day she left for New York, but tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity.

He proudly parked the car outside Anzu's house and strolled up to her front door.

Inside, Anzu was starting to panic. "Where is he?! He was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago!" It was now seven fifteen.

"I'm sure he will be here soon," her mother tried to soothe.

"But it's not like Yugi to be late!"

"Don't worry sweetheart. I can drive you there if he is late or doesn't turn up," her father promised.

"Dad! Of course he'll turn up!"

They heard the doorbell ring. Anzu rushed to answer. "Yugi! You're late!"

"Sorry!" He smiled sheepishly. "I er...m.. got you this. It's something for New York. I was gonna give it to you when you left but I couldn't wait."

"Ah... Yugi! Thank you." She took the gift from him and showed him in, all thoughts of being late to the party, forgotten.

As he followed her, he thought how beautiful she looked in her new dress.

He opened his mouth to try and tell her how lovely she looked but words refused to form. He inwardly cursed himself.

"Should I open it now?!"

"Huh!" Anzu was holding the gift out in front of her. "Oh! Yes. You look... great Anzu." His face turned pink. _Why the hell did I say great?! I'm such a jerk!_

"Thank you," she smiled kindly. "You look great as well Yugi. You're wearing the shirt I helped you choose."

"Yeah, and the jeans and shoes."

She smiled approvingly as she hastily unwrapped the gift to find a new pair of ballet slippers. "That's so thoughtful of you Yugi! How did you know I needed another pair?!"

"You were complaining that your old ones were getting dirty and faded. I thought you might like some new ones to take to New York."

"Thank you. Oh! What's this?" Tucked inside one of the slippers was a small blue box.

"Another gift... Open it," he said excitedly.

Without further hesitation, she removed the lid to find a pretty gold chain that had a dainty little pair of gold ballet slippers as a pendant. "This is so pretty. It must have cost you a fortune! You shouldn't have!"

"We wanted to. It's money I, the Other me won from duels. Before he left, we talked and decided to save some of the money to buy you a gift. We bought it months ago, just before we went to Egypt.." His voice suddenly became reflective. "We chose it then because he didn't know if he would still be here."

"Oh, Yugi, thank you, I will cherish it always. It is something to remember him by," she smiled sadly. "God! I think I'm going to cry. I don't want to cry! I will smudge my make up!" She leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek. "Oops! Sorry," she giggled. "Now I've put lipstick on your cheek."

He deftly touched his face where she had kissed him. Anzu kissed him! Wow!

"Let me help you!" He saw her struggling to fasten the necklace and reached up to gently fasten it for her. He deliberately let his fingers linger on her neck and slowly traced along her shoulder before pulling his hand away. He wasn't Atem! Her reaction to the pendant was an indication that she still felt something for his Other Self. He bit down his disappointment, just as he had always done. "Come on! We really should get going, everyone will be wondering where we are!"

Without her shoes on, Yugi was slightly taller than Anzu now, but even though she had tried not to pick shoes with very high heels, as soon as she put them on, the extra two inches gave her a very slight height advantage.

Yugi was used to it though and just winked at her and offered her his arm. "Come on, I have another surprise for you," he grinned, leading her out to the car.

"Your carriage awaits." He opened the passenger door for her to get in.

"Yugi! Who is driving us?" He climbed into the driver seat with a grin.

"Me!"

"What?! When did you pass your test? Why didn't you tell anyone?!"

"I passed about three weeks ago. I have been taking lessons in secret and wanted to surprise you. Plus I didn't want to say anything around Jonouchi because he would have asked me to give him a lift and I wanted this to be special – just you and me." His confidence was now building. "You look beautiful Anzu. I meant to say it earlier, but, you know me, it came out as great instead."

They both giggled.

"I knew what you really intended to say," she admitted.

When they got there, most people had already arrived at Otogi's bar and cafe. Otogi's father had prepared a really delicious looking buffet consisting of sushi, sashimi, yakitori, noodle salad, a rice bowl and various tempura. There were also some desert pastries for those with a sweet tooth.

Jonouch and Honda were already piling into the buffet.

"Hey!" Ryuji Otogi greeted them. "What would you like to drink. Since it's a private party, the punch is alcoholic," he winked.

"Well, I guess we will try the punch then, shall we Yugi?" Anzu beamed.

"Y.. yeah, okay. But I can't drink much. Grandpa's car, remember."

"You can always leave it here. We have some parking round the back. I suggest you park there Yugi," Otogi's father said, as he handed them their glasses of punch.

"Okay." Yugi handed Anzu his glass and ran outside to move the car. While he was gone, Anzu decided to talk to Tomoya Hanasaki who was sitting in the corner on his own. His face lit up as she walked over to him. He looked different wearing contact lenses instead of his glasses.

"I guess there won't be much buffet left after those two have eaten their way through it!" She joked.

"No," he laughed. "I don't know how they eat so much without putting on weight!"

"Come on, why don't we go and join them?" She invited. He nodded and followed her.

"Hey!" Jonouchi spluttered with his mouth full," where's Yugi?"

"Oh! He's just gone to move the car."

"Wha...!" Anzu and Hanasaki both grimaced and jumped back, as a mouth full of half chewed rice sprayed their way.

Yeah! When did Yugi learn to drive?" Honda gasped.

Yugi returned. "Hey guys!"

"Yugi! You kept that quiet! When did you learn to drive?" Jonouchi demanded to know.

"Well, I..." Yugi chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I passed my test three weeks ago, but I wanted to keep it as a surprise."

"Man, you sneaky dog! C'mon! Why don't you take us all for a quick spin?!"

"Well, I would rather no..." He didn't finish his sentence. Jonouchi clamped him on the back.

"Aw.. c'mon man! Don't be scared! We ain't gonna take the piss out of your driving or nothing!"

Anzu stepped in angrily. "Jonouchi! That is precisely why Yugi didn't tell you! We're here for the party, not to take you for joy rides! And Yugi is a good driver!"

"Ermm.. Whoa Anzu! I didn't say he wasn't. We don't have to go right now...!" Jonouchi sheepishly backtracked. "Sorry if I offended you Yuge.."

"That's okay," Yugi smiled. "I'm not offended. But I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to surprise Anzu this evening. And it is Grandpa's car, so I'm afraid I can't take you for a ride. I promised him I would drive to the party and home again. I need to earn his trust before he will let me use the car whenever I want."

"I understand. Anyway, congratulations on passing your test Yugi."

"Yeah, well done Yugi." Honda raised his plate to Yugi, while continuing to chew on a piece of tempura chicken.

Yugi sipped at his glass of punch, before surreptitiously watering a nearby pot plant with it and then choosing a cola instead. He was very conscious about not consuming alcohol if he was going to be driving. Aside from it being Grandpa's precious car, Yugi had his own precious passenger to think about!

Everyone was enjoying the evening, the party was still in full swing and looked like going on for most of the night! Anzu had ballet practice the following day, so, at around midnight, Yugi and Anzu left to go home.

Yugi wanted to say goodbye to everyone before they left but Anzu stopped him.

"I think we should just sneak out Yugi. They will either persuade you to stay, or Jonouchi and Honda will ask you for a lift home!"

"I don't mind giving them a lift..." He changed his mind when Anzu slipped her arm through his and snuggled up to him.

"But I wouldn't have my favourite best friend all to myself now, would I!" She purred. The three glasses of punch she had consumed may not have tasted very alcoholic but had indeed packed a 'punch'. Yugi was a little shocked by her relaxed behaviour.

"Anzu!" He steered her outside.

As soon as the night air hit her, she felt a little light headed and started giggling.

"Are you sure you're okay?!" He laughed, holding her upright.

"Yes, never better! Dance with me?" She grabbed his hands and started to twirl around the paved area, where the tables and chairs were put out during the day for customers to sit.

"I don't think..." Yugi didn't get much chance to complain. He was pretty hopeless at dancing at the best of times, but with Anzu's erratic dancing he was lost and they kept stepping on each others toes. Yugi did his best to guide her towards the car.

"Twirl me around Yugi!" She jumped into his arms with complete abandon. Thank goodness he had been doing a bit of weight training and had grown stronger, otherwise he might have dropped her.

With difficulty, he managed to carry her the short distance to the car. She had her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. He was well aware of her breasts being very close to his face and it took all his concentration not to melt into them!

He positioned her, with her bottom against the side of the car as he fumbled for his keys. Instinctively she uncoiled her legs from his waist and slid her feet to the ground. Her body felt relaxed and Yugi found himself pressed against her with his left arm around her waist and the keys in his right hand, while she kept tickling his neck. He managed to press the button to unlock the door.

Just as he was about to reach for the handle so that he could open the door and guide her in, she kissed him.

The kiss was just a quick one, but was a real smacker, right on the lips. It took him completely by surprise.

Anzu looped her hands over his shoulders and pulled herself in closer, causing him to tremble slightly. "Relax Yugi. You're all tensed up. You can't dance properly if you are tense."

"Sorry." He slid his arm further round her waist and rested his hand in the small of her back.

"I will teach you to Waltz," she giggled, tripping over his feet. "Oops! Look who's forgotten how to dance!"

"I think we've had enough dancing for one night." He helped her to her feet and steered her into the passenger seat. He went round to the drivers side and got in.

Anzu fumbled hopelessly with the seat belt and Yugi had to help her by leaning across her to fasten the buckle. "Naughty Yugi!" Giggling, she ruffled his hair playfully causing his face to touch her chest.

He gulped as he tried to control himself – his face brushed her breasts and he was so tempted to kiss along the line of her cleavage where her dress dipped into a 'V'. But he was a gentleman and a gentleman did not take advantage of an inebriated woman.

"There! Lets get you home." He started driving. At this time of night it would only take ten to fifteen minutes to get her home.

"I don't want to go home yet!" She complained. "I want to party!"

"I think it is best Anzu."

"Spoilsport!"

By the time he pulled up outside Anzu's house, she had quietened down and was nodding off to sleep.

"Wake up sleepy head, we're home." He reached over and brushed the stray strands of hair from her face. Anzu gave a big yawn and struggled to open her eyes.

"I'm tired," she yawned again. "I don't feel like partying any more."

"I should have kept a closer eye on what you were drinking. Jonouchi sneaked a whole bottle of vodka into Otogi's fruit punch," he sighed. Anzu growled.

"I'm going to kill Jonouchi next time I see him," she slurred.

"Let's get you indoors." He helped her from the car. "Try not to wake your parents up," he whispered. "You don't want them to know you've had alcohol." He took her keys from her and opened the door.

"Sorry if I have been annoying." She wrapped her arms around him.

"You are never annoying." He kissed her gently on the cheek.

"You are the sweetest guy ever,"

As his lips left her cheek, he felt her mouth brush against his face. Before he knew what was happening, her mouth had clumsily found his.

He hesitated and tried to pull away from the kiss, prompting her to groan slightly in annoyance. "Yugi! I'm leaving in a couple of days, we might not get another chance.."

"But you're drunk. I don't want to take advantage."

Oh! Don't be silly, I'm not that drunk! We both want this and one of us had to find the courage!" She scolded.

"I guess.. but I'm taking the lead." He gave her a lopsided grin and started kissing her gently. The kiss was soft and innocent at first, but grew in intensity as their mouths moved lovingly and sensuously together. Anzu could feel him taking her breath away.

After a few minutes, they pulled apart for some air. "Wow! We finally kissed properly," he smiled, gazing at her admiringly.

"Yeah, we did." Anzu's face flushed as she looked into his darkened, love and lust filled eyes. "Goodnight Yugi." Slowly, reluctantly, she pulled away from him and stepped inside, just as the light went on upstairs.

"Anzu! Is that you?" Her mother called out.

"Yes Mum. Sorry if I woke you.." She cringed slightly and looked at Yugi, "I hope she doesn't get out of bed and see I've been drinking!" She mouthed.

Yugi watched as she tottered unsteadily up the stairs to her bedroom. Luckily, her parents did not get out of bed and she made it to her bedroom safely. He quietly closed the door and went home...

That was six months ago now, and as Yugi sat behind the counter of the game store, he found himself thinking about that kiss and what it had meant to him. He wondered if it had meant the same to Anzu...

Or was it a goodbye kiss?

He wished he had asked her, or talked to her about it before she left, but they had not really managed to get any time alone to talk about their relationship. And on the day she left, everyone was there to say goodbye so Yugi did not get an opportunity.

They just carried on as friends – just like they always did.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please review, and let me know your thoughts.**


	2. Chapter 2

Warnings for this chapter: Some references to adult relationships and a bit of crudeness. Nothing major.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter two.

For as long as Anzu could remember, it had always been her dream to study dance in New York and now here she was, living her dream. She was grateful to her parents for supporting her. The fees were expensive but they had put money by over the years to cover the cost. All Anzu had needed to do was meet the high standards required to gain a place at the world renowned school – which of course, she had done.

To begin with, Anzu was a little overawed by the hustle and bustle of New York, but Juilliard was everything she had hoped it would be and she soon settled in and made new friends.

She did her best to stay in regular contact with her old friends in Japan, but as is so often the case when someone moves away, they all gradually stopped making the effort. It was no ones fault in particular, just the natural drifting away from your old life and getting more involved with your new one.

Apart from her parents, the only two people who still bothered to keep in touch regularly, were Yugi - who skyped her once a week - and Shizuka - who kept in touch via social media.

Anzu always looked forward to Yugi's weekly call. They would discuss everything from Jonouchi's numerous attempts to make money, to the weather and dueling tournaments. Anzu also told him about the friends she had made at Juilliard.

But not once did either of them dare confess their feelings for one another.

Anzu was starting to wonder if she and Yugi were doomed to never become a couple. In the past, there had always been reasons why they had been careful not to show their true feelings for each other. But those reasons no longer existed, yet they still avoided it!

Anzu wondered what would happen if one of them did express their feelings: What would they do about it? Realistically, she might not return to Japan for at least a year! Could she really expect him to sit at home and wait? Only for her to then move to Europe, to dance with one of the famous dance companies!

It did not help that her fellow students at Juilliard were all dating different guys and having fun flirting. They were always talking about their sexual conquests and laughing about who was gay and who was straight, or what the guys at the school might be like in the sack. Sexuality was far more openly discussed here than it was in Japan and it took a bit of getting used to.

A couple of the guys had shown an interest in her but she always turned them down because of her unrequited love for Yugi.

One young man, Peter, was more persistent and would not give up. Anzu had been paired with him for an audition for the annual school show, and they had immediately hit it off. When they danced together, they just seemed to flow as one. And even though Anzu tried not to be, she found herself attracted to him.

He was around five eleven, lean and muscular, with tousled brown hair, soft brown eyes and creamy complexion. He had a cheeky smile and all the girls liked him, yet he only had eyes for Anzu.

"I can't believe you turned Peter down again!" Her friend Sally scolded. "He won't keep asking forever you know."

"I know.. that's what I'm hoping," Anzu replied brusquely.

"Anzu! He's as hot as hell! I know you don't mean that!"

"No, of course I don't," Anzu sighed. "I do like him, okay, but it's complicated. I still have feelings for Yugi."

"Yeah, but you told me that you and Yugi hadn't even, you know... sealed the deal, done the deed.. What sort of guy is dumb enough to let a hot chick like you get away?!"

Anzu shot her an incredulous glare. "You wouldn't understand. We're more reserved about showing affection in Japan. We were not allowed to have relationships while in high school. When we went out on a date, we had to be more like friends hanging out, so we were careful to avoid any romantic feelings."

"And what are you and Yugi doing about it now? You're not in high school anymore. Jeez Anzu! He's thousands of miles away, he won't even know if you're dating another guy."

"But I couldn't do that to Yugi!"

"Yeah! I bet he's not exactly behaving like a monk! You told me about the fan girls. How long do you expect a man to go without? Think about it Anzu? He's nineteen and full of testosterone, he's not going to hold out forever. And what about you?! Don't you have urges?"

Anzu's face went red. "Of course I do. Yugi and I could have... we kissed once."

"Just once!" Sally rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just go out for one date with Peter? You don't have to have sex with him! Right now, all I can see is a girl who refuses to go out with anyone because she can't stop thinking about a boy she knew at school who she is not even officially going out with!"

"Okay, okay, I get your point," Anzu groaned. "I have asked Yugi to come for Christmas, if nothing happens between us then, I will go on one date with Peter... as friends."

"Deal." The two girls shook hands. Anzu was beginning to regret their deal already.

::::::::::::

A dull, grey, Tuesday morning in late November, found Yugi sitting behind the counter of the game shop, bored out of his mind. He never thought he would miss going to school, but he did. He sort of missed all the scrapes and daft situations they used to get into. Life was all serious and work, work, work, these days!

It was drizzling and cold outside. The shop was boringly quiet and Grandpa was at the hospital for a scan on his back, which had become quite debilitating recently.

His mother was also out, so he was all on his own.

He could sweep the soggy leaves from the porch, dust shelves or clean the shop windows but he could not be bothered, instead he was scrolling through photographs on his I-pad. A rye smile crossed his features as he recalled the adventures they all went on while he had the Millennium Puzzle. Oh, how he missed his Other Self – no! He really should get out of the habit of still thinking of him as that, his name was... _is..._ Atem.

Some of the photos were taken while Atem was in control of their body. No one, apart from those close to him knew that he had shared his body, mind and soul with an ancient Pharaoh. They had worked so well together to achieve their goals and Yugi would always keep a part of the Pharaoh in his heart - it had helped him grow into the man he was now.

Would he have been able to grow as he had without Atem? Or would he still be that lonely boy, struggling to assert himself and getting picked on as a result? He did not really wish to answer that question.

The shop door chimed Jonouchi barrelled in through the door. "Hey Yuge!"

"Oh! Hey, Jou. I thought you were working today?"

"Nah... Finished early. The fire sprinklers went off unexpectedly, so the boss gave us all the afternoon off."

Yugi laughed. "You didn't have anything to do with that I hope?!"

"ME?!" He pointed to himself in mock innocence. "No! Of course not," he chuckled. "Two guys were smoking out back and set off the sprinklers. Wrecked most of the stuff in the warehouse. They've both been sacked."

He leaned over to see what Yugi was doing. "Missing the Pharaoh eh?"

"A little, but mostly Anzu," Yugi sighed. "I have been feeling a bit nostalgic today."

"Yeah, they was fun times. Even if we did almost get killed dozens of times," he grinned and then sagged. "Do you ever wish Atem could have stayed?"

"Oddly enough, no! Sure, I miss him, but he was never meant to stay. I don't think anyone really understands what he went through while he was trapped in the Puzzle for all that time. If I had not solved it, he would still be there, a lost and lonely, frightened spirit," he said sadly.

"Yeah, I guess you're the only one who knows what he really went through. It must have been awful for him," Jonouchi added sympathetically.

"He never really talked about it. I think it was too painful for him. But every now and again, he would let his guard slip and I would feel his pain and anguish." Yugi said reflectively.

"Yeah, he was brave... You was brave too, it must have been tough on both of you." The conversation was getting too dark so Jonouchi changed the subject."Anyway! What's Anzu up to? Have you spoken to her lately?"

"I spoke to her two days ago. She has been rehearsing for a show the school are putting on over Christmas."

"Wow! She must be real good. You gonna get over there to see her? You must be missing each other, it's a long time to go without," he leered.

"Without what?" Yugi said innocently, not catching on.

"You know.. girl action!" He made a crude gesture. "You two are an item right?! You seemed to be getting on great before she left." The look on Yugi's face told him otherwise. "You mean you two still haven't?!"

"No!" Yugi snapped abruptly. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair and scratched his scalp. "We're just friends. We kissed but that's as far as it went. How could we start a serious relationship when she was leaving? She might not even return for years!"

"Aww man, that sucks as bad as me and Mai!"

"Have you heard from Mai?"

"Nope! My little sis keeps in touch though. All I know is she is in Italy having fun with some rich bastard with a big bank balance!" He snorted derisively.

"Oh! I'm sorry Jonouchi."

"Nah... don't worry about it Yuge. I'm not too bothered. Plenty more chicks queuing up for me!" He laughed. "Anyway, what are you gonna do about Anzu? You can't go on like this. You gonna go to New York and spend Christmas with her? Shizuka said she was hoping you would."

Yugi frowned and looked worried. "I told her I would, but I don't think I can."

"Why not?!" Jonouchi looked a bit shocked.

"Because December and New Year are really busy with people buying gifts. Grandpa is also talking about retirement. His back is pretty bad, it looks like he will have to have an operation, which means he will have to rest, and that leaves me in charge of the business. My dad is also coming home from his job in England for the holiday and he will expect me to be here. How _can_ I go to New York?!" He said animatedly.

"Yeah, I can see your point. I'm sure Anzu will understand. But you gotta to tell her how you feel about her Yugi. You can't just leave things as they are or you will end up like Mai and me, and it ain't fair on either of you to be in limbo like this either. I can see why you're frustrated."

"You're right." Yugi took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "I have been giving it quite a bit of thought and I know we can make a long distance relationship work, so I was going ask her if we could be a proper couple when I visited her. But that's looking unlikely now that Grandpa has to to into hospital."

"Can't they delay Gramp's op until after the New Year?"

"I don't think they can. He can hardly walk because the disc he damaged years ago is crumbling and pressing on nerves. It's inconvenient, but Grandpa's health must come first."

::::::::::::

The last person Anzu expected to let her down was Yugi. She excitedly rang him to tell him that she would be dancing in one of the lead roles in the school show.

"That's awesome! I always knew you would be one of their best dancers," he replied happily.

"I can't wait for you to come and see me dance! Have you bought your tickets yet?" Yugi went quiet for a moment. "Are you still there? Yugi?!

"Not yet... I.. I don't think..." he cleared his throat. "Grandpa is going into hospital on the fifteenth of December, for an operation on his back, which means I will have to run the shop on my own. We get busy in the run up to Christmas."

"Oh..." Anzu felt utterly deflated but tried not to sound disappointed. "How long will your grandpa be in hospital for?"

"About a week to ten days. Then he has to be careful and not do silly things like climbing ladders to clean windows and gutters while it heals. My dad is coming home from England too and he will expect me to me to be there. I'm sorry Anzu, I really am." Would it make things better if he told her he loved her? He would probably sound like a hypocritical jerk! _I love you and I want us to be together, but my family comes first so I can't come and be with you._ No! Grimacing, he could not bring himself to say it.

Anzu heard him mumble something to himself. "Are you okay Yugi?"

"Not really," he huffed. "Why does everything always have to happen at the wrong time?"

"It's not your fault Yugi," Anzu did her best to not sound upset. "Maybe you can come over in the New Year sometime? I would love you to meet my friends and see New York."

"Yeah, I will try and fix a date," he smiled. "Speak to you soon."

"Bye Yugi."

"Bye." There was an awkward pause as one waited for the other to disconnect the call, neither of them wanted to be the first one to hit 'end call'..

"Bye Yugi." At last Anzu ended the call and let out a frustrated groan. She had lost her bet and now had to go on that stupid date with Peter.

Groaning, Yugi put his head in his hands and slumped forward onto the cusions. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

::::::::::::

Anzu and Peter had to spend a lot of time together rehearsing for the show.

They had been paired to dance together because their teacher had seen the potential in their dance partnership. For some reason they just seemed to click.

After they had finished the first rehearsal, he asked her out yet again.

"I'm not sure if I should." She was still hesitating.

"Well, that's an improvement on a straight NO! Please tell me what I'm doing wrong? Don't you like me? Do I smell?" He pretended to sniff his armpit and pulled a face, making Anzu laugh.

"I do like you, it's just... Me! I haven't quite got over a guy I went out with back home."

"Oh..." he quietly responded. "I didn't know you had someone else. If you want me to back off, I will."

"No! To heck with it. I can't keep moping after Yugi forever. Yes, I will go out with you Peter." There, she had said it! Anzu felt a huge lump forming in her gut and a tightness crept up through her chest. What on earth was she doing?

"Yugi, huh! That's your ex?"

"Y.. yes," Anzu nodded slowly. She and Yugi were not really a couple, they were not even officially dating, and he had let her down. So why did she feel like she was double timing him?

She was nervous but there was no backing down now. She had never been out with anyone other than Yugi and she had no experience with dating. The new friends she had made in New York, had all lost their virginity already and one or two were in serious relationships. Anzu had only ever snogged (as Sally so eloquently put it) Yugi – once! Sally thought Anzu's innocence cute.

She had the worrying feeling that she might be about to lose that cute innocence.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Please leave a review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you renecake426 for reviewing. We will find out just how big of a mistake Anzu has made in the next few chapters.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter 3

It was now almost halfway through January. Yugi's father had taken one month of leave to be with his family while Sugoroku recovered from the operation on his back, but had now returned to England to continue his eight month contract.

Grandpa was recovering well and making steady progress, but was still not allowed to do any excessive bending or lifting – which ruled out climbing the ladder to clean the windows and guttering.

When Yugi informed him that he had hired a window cleaner, he complained bitterly. "It is a waste of money Yugi! You are young and fit, why can't you clean the shop front?"

Yugi rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Because I have better things to do! Like making enough sales so that I don't have to risk falling off a ladder and damaging my back!"

"Youngsters of today!" He tutted. "You don't have the work ethic we did in my day!"

"That's because we don't wish to end up in a wheelchair!"

"It wasn't the fall from the ladder, it was the rock fall in that tomb that damaged my back! I still can't understand why you would want to pay someone else to clean the windows."

"Yeah, well thanks to the online shop that Mokuba helped set up, and the merchandise related to me being the King of Games, sales are going through the roof and we're making a ton of Yen. We can easily afford to pay for a window cleaner."

Sugoroku chuckled. "Okay, okay! You win my boy." He let out a sigh. "I suppose its time to hand the reigns over to you and accept retirement. Arthur has invited me to stay with him at their nice new house, just outside San Francisco. I might take him up on the offer."

"Oh! Didn't he re-build the ranch that Dartz' thugs destroyed?!"

"No, no.. he sold the land. After what happened there, the stress was all too much for him. He has officially retired. However, he has been made an honorary dean at Berkeley, so he is still keeping his mind active."

"When are you going? And how long will you be away for?"

"Well, I think I will see if I can get a flight this weekend! The weather is much better there than it is here at this time of year. I might stay for a couple of months and return in April once spring is here."

"Really?! Do you trust leaving me in charge for that long?!" Yugi was pleased that his grandfather would get a nice long holiday but was a little miffed that it meant he would definitely not get to go and see Anzu for a while to come.

"Yes, of course I trust you Yugi! You have proved yourself to be very competent. Would you like me to say anything to Rebecca for you? She is still obsessed with you, you know!" Smirking, he let out a chuckle.

"Is she?! Just tell her I'm doing well and that I have a steady girlfriend."

"Ah! So you and Anzu are a couple? Or do you have some other secret lady friend?" He winked.

"No!" He blushed. "I just don't want to encourage Rebecca."

"She is not _that_ bad Yugi! Arthur tells me she is growing into a fine young lady." He chuckled rather lewdly.

"Grandpa! She's only just fourteen!"

The door chimed as Shizuka arrived from school to help out for the rest of the day. "Good afternoon Yugi, Mister Mutou." She bowed politely to Sugoroku.

"Hi Shizuka." When Yugi smiled at her, Shizuka blushed. She was supposed to be dating Honda, but had recently developed a crush on Yugi. His relaxed, friendly manner and easy going personality made him charming to be around and it was easy to fall for him. And whether he realised it or not, his charm often came across as flirting, making it increasingly difficult for Shizuka to hide her crush.

"I will leave you young people alone." Sugoroku stood up from the chair he had been sitting on. "I have a physiotherapy appointment, I don't want to get stuck in traffic and be late."

Leaving them to tend the shop, he went outside to his car, grinning. He had the impression that Shizuka had the hots for his grandson - must be that Mutou charm!

"I have just printed off a batch of orders. Would you like to help me package them up?" Yugi gave Shizuka a friendly smile. Since moving to Domino to be with her brother she had become part of their group of friends. She would never replace Anzu, but Yugi liked her because she didn't try to be like Anzu.

"Okay," she nodded.

He took her out to the store room, where a corner had been equipped for packing up parcels.

"Grandpa has been talking to his old archaeology friend Arthur. I don't think you know him, they met on a dig in Egypt and have been good friends ever since. Arthur was originally from Oxford in England but has lived in America for like.. centuries," he exaggerated. "He has invited Grandpa to stay with him." He placed the order sheets on the table. "These are the orders. Some of the items are in these boxes here and some are in the boxes on the shelves. I will talk you through the first few, but it's quite easy once you get going."

Shizuka nodded that she understood. "Who was the girl you were discussing? The one you said was only fourteen."

"Oh!" Yugi chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Arthur's granddaughter, Rebecca. She is okay, but has this really annoying crush on me. I haven't seen her for over a year, but last time I did, she wouldn't leave me alone and kept cuddling up to me. I didn't like to hurt her feelings as she's temperamental and gets upset easily, so I just sort of put up with it. Even though I told Anzu I'm not interested in Rebecca because she's only a kid, she still can't stand her and gets really jealous. Or at least, she used to..." He smiled nostalgically. He had always secretly liked it when Anzu got possessive and fought off the other girls!

"Admit it Yugi? You like the attention," she teased.

"What! Me?" He feigned innocence and then scratched his head and smirked, "Yeah, maybe, just a little.."

"What would you do, if in a few years time, Rebecca grew up to become a beautiful woman?" Shizuka giggled.

"I don't know! I like Anzu so there's no chance of me dating Rebecca!"

"But what if you and Anzu didn't get together? Would you be interested then?"

"Possibly! Possibly not!" He said coyly. "She might not be my type! Or she might grow out of her crush on me by then. Anyway, why all the questions?!" He was beginning to feel embarrassed.

"Sorry!" It was Shizuka's turn to blush. "I can see why she developed a crush on you though, you are really nice to know."

"Thanks. I just wish Anzu had more of a crush on me, I'm not sure she really likes me in that way," he sighed.

"Have you spoken to Anzu lately?"

"Not since last week. We messaged each other a couple of times though. She said she was doing great. Have you been in touch with her much?"

"Not since the start of the New Year. She's made quite a few new friends and I worry that she's drifting away from us all a bit," Shizuka sighed. "She and Mai are like big sisters to me and I miss them both."

"Yeah, it's not easy when someone you are close to goes away," he said sadly.

"How about we check facebook? We can send Anzu a nice message."

"Yeah, just quickly though, otherwise we will be here until midnight doing these orders." He put down the action figure he was packing and grabbed his I-pad. He had been logged out. "I don't really go on facebook much," he admitted, signing in.

Shizuka sidled up close to look at his news feed. "You have nearly a hundred friend requests!"

"They are all from people I have never heard of. I stopped accepting friend requests from people because I was getting a lot of propositions! Some of them are really dirty! It's why I don't go on facebook much."

"We could change your account, so people can follow you rather than be friends. Since you are famous, that might be better."

He nodded. "Yeah, I should." He started scrolling through and suddenly came to a photo that Anzu had been tagged in. "What's this?!" The colour drained from his face.

"Oh my god!" Shizuka nervously put her hand over her face as he stared at the screen.

There were several photographs that Anzu had been tagged in, of what appeared to be someone's birthday party.

There was a picture of Anzu dancing with a guy, and another of them with their faces pressed cheek to cheek, smiling for the camera. Anzu had been tagged with someone called Peter Andrews and the caption on the picture - posted by Sally Wilson - said: _OMG! Such a cute couple_. Two love hearts and a smiley face were also added and there were several likes and soppy comments from people Yugi had never heard of.

Yugi felt his stomach drop and his heart clench in his chest.

"Who the hell is Peter?" He checked the man's profile and his latest status claimed that he was in a relationship with Anzu. Yugi almost snarled in anger and frustration.

Why had he not seen something like this coming? Had he been so naïve as to think that Anzu would not attract the attention of would be suitors? Or that she would not find other guys that Yugi felt were probably better looking than he was. She was pretty, vivacious and a talented dancer. Of course other guys would want to date her! "Did you know about this?!" His eyes flashed with anger and hurt as he glared at Shizuka, making her flinch.

"I knew she had been on a date with some guy, but I didn't know about these pictures, honest! They were not there when I checked first thing this morning."

He blinked and the soft kind look returned. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, it's not your fault. I should have known something like this might happen. How long has it been going on?"

"I don't know... Two weeks maybe. She kept turning him down, but when you didn't go and see her at Christmas..." She trailed off when he interrupted.

"So it's _all_ my fault." There was a hint of bitter sarcasm in his voice. "If only I had told her how I felt. I just didn't want to make her feel bad about going to New York to live her dream of being a dancer."

"It's not your fault Yugi," Shizuka touched his arm reassuringly. "If anything, it's her fault – she's the one going out with someone else!"

"Yeah, you're right. I think we both had the same concerns about starting a relationship together, which is why neither of us said anything," he gave a rye little snort of laughter. "What a hopeless pair we are. And now I've lost her."

"Maybe not for ever. It's not serious with this guy. I'm sure if you told her how you feel about her..." She really wanted to tell him that if Anzu wasn't interested in him, she was, but now was not the time.

Yugi shrugged, "Maybe. I dunno. Lately I've been feeling like we're drifting apart. I don't understand the world of ballet, and I can't see myself getting over to see her any time soon. Perhaps I should accept that our lives are going in different directions and just move on and find someone else," he said sadly.

The door to the shop chimed, indicating they had a customer. "I'll go," Shizuka offered." Just as she stood, a familiar voice called out.

"Hey! Is there anywhere a guy can get a beer around here?!"

Shizuka rolled her eyes at her brother's daft comment. Even Yugi had to chuckle at his friend's humour.

Upon greeting Jonouchi, Yugi put on a brave face. "No beer here, this is a game shop!" He laughed, but it sounded forced.

Jonouchi was in a buoyant mood. "It's Friday, I just finished my shift and got my pay check. Since I got three days off, how about we go out and celebrate Yugi? My treat."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Yugi wearily replied. "Shouldn't you save your money towards the bills and your father's gambling debt?"

"No way am I giving that bastard all my hard earned dough! And when was the last time we all had fun? I thought we could get the train into Tokyo to see AKB48 – my shout. Honda's up for it!"

"I don't think I feel like it," Yugi muttered.

"What's up Yugi?! Since when have you ever turned down the chance for some girl action, meh heh heh."

"Nothing is up! I just don't feel like going out, that's all."

"Something's bothering you dude! You can tell me? I'm your friend. Is it guy stuff?! Shizuka will look after the shop while we talk, wont ya Sis?"

"It's nothing like that!" Yugi flushed pink. "Shizuka already knows." They were interrupted again when a group of kids wandered in, keen to see the King of Games.

For the next half an hour, the shop was fairly busy. And as soon as the last person left, Yugi decided to close the shop for the day. It was nearly five thirty, anyway.

"Since you are here Jou, you can help us with these orders. We're a bit behind with them. I will fill you in while we work."

"Sure, no problem."

Jonouchi's reaction to Anzu having a boyfriend was disbelief. He had always believed that Yugi and Anzu were more than just friends – even if they didn't admit it, and since Anzu had gone to New York, Yugi had not given him any reason to think they were not still a couple. "How could she?! I thought you two were as good as married!"

"Well...,"Yugi cringed slightly, "I always hoped that after she had graduated from Juilliard, we could date properly. But now I'm not sure if she will even come back to Japan! She has been talking about going to Paris or London to work."

"But not if you make your intentions clear Yugi! There must be ballet clubs here - or whatever it is they call em. You gotta be more assertive!"

"By telling her what to do and end up with her hating me?! I have thought about all that in detail. Neither of us are ready to get married, and I didn't want to make Anzu feel guilty about leaving, or force her into staying here just for me!" He was getting agitated. "I thought I would have more time to go and visit her, but I'm just too busy! I've blown it Jonouchi, I've lost her." Tears pricked his eyes and he was trying very hard not to cry in front of Shizuka.

"Why don't you ring her and talk to her Yugi?" Shizuka suggested helpfully.

"I don't know if I can face her. What would I say?"

"Nah, best call her and get it over with Yugi. Think of it like a game! You can either throw all your cards down and hope it's a winning hand, or you can quit and save yourself humiliation and move on. What's it to be?"

"A game? What, like a love game? I never thought about it like that." A rye smirk crossed his features. "I suppose I had better start planning my strategy then."

"That's the attitude dude! You're the King of Games, girls will be queueing up to be your girlfriend. Then you can show Anzu that you can screw around too – make her jealous!"

The response from Yugi was a woeful glare.

"I don't think that was very helpful Katsuya," Shizuka scolded.

Yugi thought for a moment. "This is certainly making me think about my feelings. Yes, I'm hurt and angry, but I'm not as broken hearted as I thought I would be. I think I half expected it and it's been so long since we've seen each other, I kind of... if I'm honest, I don't know if I feel the same way I did. It's like I'm hanging onto my teenage crush. Maybe love is a game where the rules are just too unfair! Perhaps it's time for me to deal myself a new hand play a few random cards on the field."

When Jonouchi smelt the food Yugi's mother was cooking, his eyes lit up hungrily. As soon as Hana Mutou offered, he changed his mind about going out and he and Shizuka stayed for dinner. They did not discuss Anzu at the dinner table in front of Yugi's mother and grandfather, and Yugi did his best to forget about her while they were eating.

As soon as his friends had gone home, he went upstairs to take a shower and get ready for bed. He waited until just after ten thirty and then decided to ring Anzu. Hopefully, she would be awake by now!

::::::::::::

It had been a busy week, followed by a late night of dancing and smooching with Peter. Since it was Saturday morning and she had no classes today, Anzu was enjoying a lie in.

Her mind turned to Peter. It was getting a little more serious than she had intended and she was a little afraid about taking that next step in a relationship. She and Yugi had never even got close to having sex, and she was unsure if she should with Peter. She really liked him and was growing more attached to him, but did she really like him enough?

It was also making her feel guilty about Yugi. How on earth was she going to tell him she was dating someone?

She was unaware of the photographs her friends had posted on facebook last night!

Her phone rang, breaking her from her thoughts. It was eight thirty in the morning and she had butterflies in her stomach as she picked up her phone and saw it was Yugi.

She yawned wearily, before answering as cheerily as possible "Hello Yugi!"

"Hey Anzu! Hope I didn't wake you?" He sounded a bit off!

"No! I was already awake. Busy week so I am having a lie in."

"Oh! That's nice." Jonouchi had told him to get right to the point of the conversation, so he did. "I erm... I have seen the pictures of you and him, Anzu."

"What pictures?!" She felt a rush of dread.

"The ones on facebook." He hesitated a moment. "I know about Peter." There was silence on the other end of the line, for what seemed like an eternity.

Eventually, Anzu spoke. "I.. I haven't seen facebook today. I will kill my friends for posting them."

"Why? Didn't you want me to know?"

"It's not that Yugi! I wanted to tell you in my own time. I mean, its not serious, just a date."

Yugi was unsure how to answer. "Yeah, I guess. It's not like you and me.. not like we're committed to each other or anything, is it?"

"No, it's not," she muttered sadly. "But if you don't want me to date Peter, I won't?" She really wanted Yugi to tell her he loved her; to be his for all eternity. But instead, he just sighed.

"It's not really my place to tell you what you should or shouldn't do Anzu, or who you should go out with. We are thousands of miles apart and it feels like our lives are going in separate directions. I will admit I'm jealous, but I have no right to be because you're not my property." His voice sounded flat. "This new guy understands the dancing world you are now part of, so is probably a better choice for you than me."

"Yugi?!" Anzu's voice was shaky and she felt tears beginning to well up. No! Was he trying to tell hert hat whatever it was they had going on between them, was over! "We are still friends though?"

"Yes, still friends. I know you probably won't come back to Japan, but I will always care for you Anzu. If you ever need me, please call me, okay?" He was fighting back tears now and his voice was cracking up.

Anzu struggled to talk. After a few moments she managed to reply. "Yes.. I will Stay in touch.. just try to stop me," she tried to laugh but it got stuck in her throat.

"Yeah. Take care Anzu, bye." Yugi was shaking as he hung up the phone.

::::::::::::

The months went by and Yugi realised that there really was only one girl he really loved, and that girl was Anzu. He had plenty of fan girls to choose from and even dated a few but found their obsession with his fame and status a little overbearing. He wanted a girlfriend who liked him for himself, not for his title.

It was now early May and Yugi and although they had agreed to remain friends, he and Anzu had not spoken to one another. Yugi was hoping that she would be coming home for the summer break so that they could spend some time together and talk. He knew they would have to decide whether or not they had a future together.

They only thing making him really nervous was Peter. He had no idea how serious it was between them, but Shizuka kept him informed and apparently she was still seeing him.

He decided to put his pride to one side and call her to find out her plans for the summer holidays.

"The school closes on the 20th May and re-opens on 10th August. So I will be home to celebrate your twentieth birthday," she informed him happily.

"That's great!" He beamed. He had assumed the school would not close until July and go back in September as was usual in Japan.

"That will be nice to see everyone again," she answered cheerily. "It will give you all a chance to meet Peter. I'm sure you will all like him."

Yugi had to stifle an audible sigh at the mention of Peter. "Will he be coming too then?" It was said without any enthusiasm.

"Well, I haven't asked him yet, but I'm sure he will. He might not like me coming on my own as he still thinks I have a thing for you, and I need to prove to him that you and I are just friends."

Yugi felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. "He sounds a bit possessive! Doesn't he trust you? _Do_ you have a thing for me?"

Anzu gave a funny laugh. "Of course he trusts me! He just doesn't understand our friendship. I tried to explain the bond we share but he says it's wrong!" She skirted around his second question. "Anyway, do you have a girlfriend yet? What about Jonouchi and Honda? Are they still scaring the girls away?"

"Nah, no one special. I have been on a quite a few dates, but I think they only like me because I'm the King of Games. Jonouchi doesn't have anyone at the moment." He avoided telling her that one or two of the girls had literally thrown themselves at him!

"Do Honda and Ryuji still squabble over who likes Shizuka more? I don't suppose she is dating either of those two bozos yet, is she?" She snickered.

"She dated Honda and then dumped him. Otogi still chases her but she ignores him. Please keep it to yourself, but I think Shizuka likes me."

Anzu did not seem surprised. "Yes, I had a feeling she might. Do you like her?" Anzu enquired coyly – a little bit of envy, bubbling up in her chest.

"Yeah," he sounded embarrassed, "of course I do, but... she's Jonouchi's sister, and you know how protective he is, he keeps threatening Honda and Otogi, that if they dare touch her, they'll be singing soprano...!"

"You should go for it Yugi. Jonouchi respects you. If there is anyone he will allow to date Shizuka, it's you!" Despite encouraging him, her envy was growing.

"If you think I should...?"

"Of course you should Yugi!"

"I'll think about it. I find it weird that all these girls like me. I even get them sending me their underwear! Grandpa came home from California and said Rebecca is still crazy about me, but she's too young for me," he chuckled. "At least Shizuka is seventeen."

"Why shouldn't they like you Yugi? You're a hot guy!" She felt her face heating. "Look, I will get back to you about the summer break, okay. Say hi to everyone for me?"

Yugi smiled. He could hear that she was slightly flustered. He felt a bit mean boasting that girls were chasing him, but if love was a game, then strategy was the key to winning - and he was a master strategist.

If he played this game right, he _would_ win back the girl he loved.

After they finished their call, Yugi sat back in his chair, feeling smug. It was a trait he had picked up from Atem and right now, he was glad for the personality sharing that had subconsciously gone on between them. He was pretty certain that when she came home for the summer break, he would win round two.

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to everyone who reviewed/fav/followed.. or even just read.

Warnings: There is some swearing and some adult content.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter 4.

The end of year assessments were coming up and the summer holidays were fast approaching. Anzu was excited about going home and seeing her friends again, but she was a little apprehensive as to what their reaction to Peter might be. She was especially worried about what might happen when Yugi met Peter. Yugi was was her closest friend and Peter had made his dislike of the young man he had never even met, perfectly clear, and she did not want any trouble between them.

The only people keen to meet Peter were her parents. From what Shizuka had said, none of her friends were very impressed that she had a boyfriend and Jonouchi had threatened to knock his teeth out if he did not approve. Deep down, Anzu hoped that Peter would decide to stay at home so that she could spend time with her old friends, without any confrontations.

She also felt that she and Yugi would need to sit down together and talk.

Anzu started to look at flights on or around the 22nd May but before she confirmed her booking she needed to ask Peter if those dates suited him.

But Peter had other ideas... "I want you to spend the summer with me in Chicago! I've told my family all about you and they can't wait to meet you. And there are so many places I want to take you to see! My family also has a yacht. I really want to teach you to sail."

"That all sounds lovely Peter, but the holidays are long! We would still have plenty of time to go to Japan for a couple of weeks first. I really miss my friends and family. I promised them..." Her suggestion provoked an unexpectedly angry response.

"Why would we want to go to Japan when there is so much to do here?! Flights to Japan are expensive and if your friends are that desperate to see you they can come here!" He argued.

"I checked and air fares are around 950 dollars. It won't cost us anything when we get there because we will be staying with my parents. If my friends came here they would have to pay for accommodation. Plus all my friends are working and don't have as much free time as we do."

"No!" He banged his clenched fist on the coffee table, making Anzu jump. "We are not going! End of argument!"

"But my parents are looking forward to me going home and I really want to celebrate Yugi's birthday with him. I promised him."

Peter's handsome features became ugly and twisted with rage. "Fucking Yugi!" He shouted in her face, causing her to flinch. "Why don't you just get over him?! You're _my_ girl now- GOT IT?!"

"But he is my friend." It was the first time Anzu had experienced someone bullying her. His aggression took her by surprise. Even Marik's mind control was passive by comparison. "There's nothing going on between Yugi and me. He has a new girlfriend!"

"If you loved me, you would put my feelings first," he snarled.

"What about my feelings? Don't they count? I love my parents and I want to see them! And so what if three of my best friends are men and one of them happens to be very close to my heart. I can't change that, can I?!" Her defiance was met with the threat of a slap to the face, but he managed to control his rage enough to stop himself from hitting her.

Anzu was terrified, but instead of hitting her, he grabbed her hair, pushed her back against the chair and started kissing her roughly. It took all her will power not to cry out.

He pulled away, waving his clenched fist in front of her face. "You're my woman now and don't you forget it. Know your place.. bitch!"

Anzu was left trembling and with a bleeding lip. Her usual response would have been to knee him in the groin and tell him to get stuffed, but she was in a foreign country and did not want to cause problems for herself. A mixture of confusion and fear was also holding her hostage.

She tried to justify his behaviour: He must love her very much to get so upset, and she must have really hurt his feelings when she mentioned Yugi.

She suddenly felt very homesick and alone. Whenever things got tough, her friends had always been there to rally round and help each other out. But they were not here, leaving her feeling lonely and isolated, thousands of miles away from home. She could not bring herself to ring them and tell them the truth because she felt embarrassed.

Trying to see it from Peter's point of view, she imagined how she might feel if he kept talking about an ex-girlfriend who still kept in touch with him. Anzu knew that whenever she mentioned Yugi, her eyes lit up. No wonder Peter got upset! Yugi was a rival for her affections, and she was always talking about her friendship with him.

She needed to show Peter that she did not have lingering feelings for Yugi. And so, to do this, she gave in to Peter's demands.

Peter was happy, but Anzu felt dispirited. It would not be easy trying to explain to her parents or Yugi that she was not coming home. They would be devastated. And she dare not tell them that Peter was controlling her by threatening her - her dad would get angry. Besides, Peter was probably only behaving like that because he loved her and got jealous easily.

When she told her parents that she would not be coming home for the summer holiday they were disappointed, but they were very understanding of her decision to explore America with her boyfriend. Their little girl was growing up and forging a new life for herself. At least she was not telling lies, in order to sneak away on boat with a group of boys to spend a weekend on some Pacific Island! Or pretending that her trip to Egypt with the same boys was a school history trip! Or so they believed!

When she told Yugi, he was less understanding.

Devastated that she was not coming home, he wanted to know why, or rather, who had made her change her mind.

The image on skype might be grainy and kept buffering, but he could still see by the way she fidgeted and kept apologising that Anzu was not quite her usual happy self. "What's wrong Anzu? I thought you were excited about coming home for the holidays. What has changed to make you stay in America?"

"Nothing has changed!" She seemed cagey. "Peter wants us to do something else, that's all. I'm in a relationship, so I can't just do what I want anymore. It's about give and take."

"It sounds like you're doing the giving and he's taking. What's happened to you Anzu? You never used to let people boss you about!"

"He doesn't boss me Yugi, I made the decision myself. I have always wanted to see Niagara Falls and he's promised to take me - it's the trip of a lifetime! "

Yugi still was not convinced. "Anzu! It doesn't take nine weeks to visit a waterfall!" Yugi was trying to be calm but was struggling to hide his exasperation. "Is Peter refusing to let you come home?" The way her eyes darted away from the screen for a few seconds, caused him concern.

He was a master gamer and had learned his skills well; from both his grandfather and from the time he had spent with Atem. How ever subtle a facial expression might be, he could read in an instant, what the person facing him was thinking.

He was no longer the timid little Yugi who in the past would have hung his head meekly and accepted her explanation. He was not going to let her excuses go that easily.

She knew he had seen through her mask. "Of course not!" She retorted, voice tight as a drum.

He leaned forward and looked into the camera, with as much concern as he could muster. "I don't believe you Anzu... what happened to your strong willpower?!" He sounded just like Atem.

She flinched slightly, but did not answer so he continued. "You are the last person I would ever imagine letting someone tell you what to do! He doesn't own you. You must not let him stop you from visiting your friends and family!"

"It's no like that!" She snapped suddenly. "He wants me to be with him so badly that it makes him possessive. Why do you think he's so jealous? It's you Yugi! He worries about losing me to _you_. He thinks I only want to come home because I have something going on with you! I am trying to reassure him that you and I are just friends – nothing more!" The pain in her voice and her choice of words were like a knife cutting through his heart.

"Am I still your friend Anzu?" He said sadly. "Because from where I'm sitting, It doesn't seem like it any more!" He felt his own jealousy bubbling to the surface and it was not a pleasant sensation.

She touched her fingers on the screen of her laptop, gently stroking the image of his face. "Please... Yugi, don't be like that! It's just how it is. I have such a busy schedule it's hard to fit everything in. My parents have said they will come out to visit me in August for my birthday. Why don't you come with them?" There was a hint of pleading in her voice.

"Grandpa is semi retired and I am in charge of the store. I can't just up and leave! Believe it or not, I have better things to do than go all the way to America just to get in the way of Perfect Peter! Forget it Anzu, I'm done..." He immediately regretted his bitter sounding outburst. "Sorry Anzu, I didn't mean..."

"I know what you meant. Geez!" She huffed. "You guys! Why are you all so aggressive and jealous?! I'm not a possession for you to fight over like.. like... idiots! I'm a free spirit, I can do as I wish!"

"If you are such a free spirit Anzu, then why are you allowing Peter to tell you what to do?! And I'm not being aggressive! I'm just worried about you.. as a friend."

"Stop worrying! For the last time Yugi! He's _not_ telling me what do do, he's just keen for me to meet his family. I don't know why you have such a problem with that!"

He let out a sigh. "We used to be close Anzu, I didn't think we would end up arguing like this! If I'm honest, then maybe I do have a problem with you having a boyfriend. We've been through so much together. We're best friends, it's hard to let you go..." he trailed off. " _Because I love you..."_ he mouthed quietly to himself so that she would not hear, but she caught his movement on the screen.

There was a slight pause and he caught her wiping the corner of her eye, quickly, with her thumb. "Yugi..?!" Her voice sounded a little strained. "I... I didn't catch that, did you say something?!" Her heart was beating faster. She could not be sure about what he had mouthed – if only she was better at lip reading!

"I will always like you Anzu. I always hoped..." He huffed and the corners of his mouth twitched as he forced a smile. "But we had our chance and we both let it go. Our lives are taking different directions now and we live too far apart for it to ever work out. But if you ever need me, or if you are in trouble, please let me know immediately, okay? I will always keep a little space in my heart for you, right next to the one I keep for Atem."

For a few moments, Anzu struggled to find words. "Oh... Yugi! You have always been so kind. You are the best friend I have ever had... I never did deserve you."

"Well, yeah.. I could say the same about you, always watching out for me," he chuckled. "Just as long as you are happy, then I'm happy."

"I am happy Yugi. Everything here is really great, I love it. The school is everything I hoped it would be and I am doing really well in class. Of course I get a bit homesick occasionally – I miss you guys. But I must not let it get me down because this is the life I always dreamed of."

"Yeah, I know, and I am happy that you are happy. But if you do change your mind about coming home, I will be here if you need me. And if Peter wants to come with you, then that's okay, I can handle it. I won't punch him or anything." He forced a laugh.

"I thought you hated violence? I won't have you getting into fights over me, Yugi!"

"Don't worry, I still hate unnecessary violence. I won't do anything unless provoked," he stated with confidence. "Remember when I told you that one day I would be strong enough to protect you?"

"Yes, at Duelist Kingdom. I remember it well," she mused. "But I don't want you to think you have to use violence to protect me. I don't like guys that fight like cavemen."

"I understand. But if he ever does anything to hurt you, I would fight to protect you... "

"Well, no one is going to hurt me, so please stop worrying about me. I am fine." There was an awkward pause in the conversation. "I should go now, I have to get to class."

"Yeah... And Anzu?!" He hesitated, whether to say ' _I love you.'_ He decided against it. "Take care."

"I will... See you soon – maybe." She ended the skype connection.

::::::::::::

The next day, Yugi went to Burger World with Jonouchi. When he told Jonouchi why Anzu wasn't coming home Jonouchi was shocked.

"I can't believe Anzu is lettin that jerk tell her what to do. It just so ain't her!" Jonouchi took a big bite of his burger and chewed.

Yugi sat and stared at the burger on his plate. It suddenly looked so unappetising. "Yeah, she must really like him," he let out a sigh. "I kind of got a bit annoyed and said a few things... I have lost her for sure. I'm such an idiot."

"There's nothing you could a done Yuge," Jonouchi chomped on the food in his mouth and quickly swallowed it before continuing. "She's over there and you're over here! It's like me and Mai; I have no idea what she's doing or if she's okay. If she wants me, she knows where I am."

"And you're okay with that?!"

"Yeah, it's not like we're committed or nothing. If she comes back and fancies getting it on with me then great! Until then, I'm getting on with life."

"Yeah, but it's different with me and Anzu. We loved each other but were too stupid to do anything about it," Yugi prodded his burger. "I don't know what we are any more."

"You gonna eat that Yugi?" Yugi shook his head. "Shame to see it go to waste!"

"Here, you have it." Yugi took the hint and pushed the plate across the table.

"You're not stupid Yuge!" Jonouchi picked up the burger. "You knew she was going away for a couple of years so you did the right thing and let her go." He took a huge bite and looked at Yugi as he chewed, awaiting his response.

"Was I right?! I thought so at the time... It was why I didn't tell her I loved her. I mean, she knew I cared... a lot. I thought she cared about me in he same way, I just didn't expect her to get a boyfriend!"

"Do you still love her?"

"I think so. I dunno... I'm not sure how I feel any more."

"Erm.. Yugi? You're killing the ketchup!" Jonouchi gestured at the bottle Yugi was inadvertently crushing in his hand.

"Huh?! Oh!" Yugi went as red as the ketchup. He carefully put the bottle down and looked guiltily at the mess he had squirted onto the plastic covered menu that doubled as a place mat! A waitress dutifully came over and cleaned it up. He apologised profusely. She giggled and bowed graciously, her face turning pink. She gave him a cute little wave as she scurried away.

"Did you see the way she flirted with you Yugi? Why don't you ask her out, it will help ease the pain until you get over Anzu!"

"I don't know if I want to get over Anzu. It's not that easy, I still feel bad when I date other girls."

"Don't feel guilty Yugi! You're a man ain't ya?!"

"What's that got to do with dating?"

"Well, you know." Jonouchi leaned in so he could whisper. "You're almost twenty! A man has needs. You can't keep going without it."

Yugi looked at him dumbly. "Go without what?"

"Girl action dummy! You ain't still a virgin, are you?!"

"Of.. of course not!" He lied, face going scarlet. "And I hardly think I will go mad!"

"Yeah, well if you get too desperate I can lend you some magazines, and I got new DVD which you might like. It's much better than the last one I lent ya!"

Yugi's face lit up. "Have you? Yeah, if you don't mind me borrowing it!"

"See! That's cheered you up ya pervert!" Jonouchi grinned.

"Shhh... Keep your voice down!" Yugi cringed and almost slid under the table with embarrassment when the woman on the opposite table shot them a filthy look. Jonouchi winked at her and laughed loudly. The woman complained and they were asked to leave.

::::::::::::

Every time Yugi thought about being thrown out of Burger World, he cringed. But Jonouchi was right when he said that he should not waste his life dreaming about Anzu. She was not coming home, she was dating someone else. He needed to accept that and let her go.

He really hoped that once they got over any lingering feelings for each other, they would still be able to remain friends.

But it was now time for him to get out there and make the most of the opportunities being presented to him. Usually, he would decline offers to appear in advertisements and television shows, using the excuse that he was too busy running the shop. But Grandpa was rejuvenated and had been spending more time in the shop again recently.

Yugi decided that it was about time he pushed himself out of his comfort zone and accept some of the many offers that being the King of Games attracted.

There had been several requests for him to be interviewed on a chat show but he had always turned it down. The producer had given him her business card and urged him to call her if he changed his mind. Plucking up the courage, he rang her. The television company quickly offered him a very lucrative deal, so after taking advice, he accepted.

As part of the deal, he made a guest appearance in a popular Japanese soap opera, participated in a ridiculous game show; where he had to run through a bouncy maze attached to a bungee chord, while being covered in slimy, green foam! It was hilarious – he was being paid to let off steam!

He was asked to appear in an advert for a brand of toiletries aimed at young men. At first, he was a little embarrassed about stripping off his shirt for the cameras, but with a little encouragement, he got over his bashfulness.

He was paid extremely well for the advertising and found that he was actually starting to embrace his status as a celebrity.

It was not long before he lost his virginity. After the first day of filming, the representative for the toiletries company asked him what he was doing that evening. He could not believe that such a beautiful, confident, high flying business woman would be interested in him. She was probably at least five years older than him too!

Filming was being done in Okinawa and the advertising agency was paying for Yugi to stay in an hotel for the two days it would take to film. "I will probably have dinner and then relax in my room. It's been a long day," he told her.

"Why don't we have dinner together?" She asked.

"Yes, I would like that," he smiled. He certainly was not expecting it to be any more than dinner, but after a couple of glasses of wine, they were both relaxed.

"My room or yours?" She asked him outright.

He was taken by surprise at how forward she was being with him and felt his face heat up. "I don't mind," he found himself answering.

"Do you have a double bed?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Your room it is then. I only have a single."

As the door to his room closed behind them, Yugi could feel his heart pounding with anticipation. He had kissed one or two girls recently but had not really gone beyond a bit of kissing and touching. He was terrified, but at the same time, excited. She was older than him and was obviously more experienced. He did not really have a clue what he was doing! The way she kissed nearly blew his mind.

"You haven't done this before, have you?" She smiled when he fumbled clumsily to unclasp her bra.

"I have had girlfriends! I just haven't dealt with one of these contraptions before, it's confusing!" He replied indignantly, not wanting to admit he was inexperienced.

"It's okay. You do it like this!" She guided his hands.

With the offending article of clothing removed, he did not need telling what to do next. Watching those porno movies had served a useful purpose after all!

There was a bit of fumbling on his part, but with a little guidance here and there, he did pretty well.

He learned a lot that night and performed really well – or at least, he thought he did. She seemed satisfied.

As he slowly dozed off in the afterglow, he told himself that he was well and truly over Anzu – he was not. When he was woken from his slumber in the morning, by the pleasurable feeling of his manhood being gently caressed, he inadvertently moaned. "Mmmm Anzu." He was still half asleep but could feel himself growing increasingly aroused.

The ministrations stopped suddenly and the woman he had taken to bed last night popped her head back up from under the covers. "Who is Anzu?"

"Huh!" Yugi was suddenly more awake. "Erm.." he cringed. "No one.. I mean.."

"Your girlfriend?"

"No! She's just a friend. Nothing more."

"But you were dreaming about her while I was... Oh, never mind. Who am I to complain.. I'm married."

"Wha...! You're married?! We shouldn't be doing this!" He sat up with a shocked expression.

"Relax Yugi, you didn't think this was going anywhere, did you? My husband is always away working and when he is home, he's usually too tired for sex. You are irresistible! It just seemed like we both needed a little fun."

"Fun! Is that all this is?"

"It was more than fun!" She purred seductively. "We have half an hour before we need to get up. Do you want me to continue or shall I stop?"

He moved his hand down to hold his still throbbing erection. "Continue," he replied, rather sheepishly.

::::::::::::

Whilst Yugi was away filming, Sugoroku was back in charge of running the shop and relishing every moment.

Due to Yugi's ever increasing fame, the shop was increasingly busy. Sugoroku was delighted with the profits they were making. He had returned from California with renewed energy and had all sorts of ideas to capitalise on Yugi's popularity.

When Yugi arrived home the following evening, Sugoroku informed him that he had ordered five hundred posters of Yugi, to be sold at a small duelling tournament Sugoroku was planning, which would be held at the shop. The tournament would be for under boys and girls of thirteen and under only. The winner would get to duel Yugi in a friendly match.

"The competition will be in one month," Sugoroku informed him. "That gives us plenty of time to advertise and for youngsters to enter. They will get a poster included in their entry fee. Those not dueling can purchase a poster for a reasonable sum."

The month flew by quickly and the mini tournament was a success. A boy of ten called Ryo Marufuji won the contest using a rather haphazardly constructed deck made up of cybernetic monsters. Yugi could have beaten the boy easily but did not wish to demoralise him, so he went fairly easy on him. After the duel, he gave him some very useful advice that would help the boy to one day, become a top ranked duelist.

When the tournament ended, Yugi took a few days off to relax and unwind. Not being busy, meant that his mind turned to Anzu. He had not heard anything from her since their conversation at the end of May. He thought about calling her but could not think of a reason to do so. She was probably too busy enjoying herself with Peter Perfect anyway.

She would be back at Juilliard by now and her birthday was next week. He decided that he would ring her then.

* * *

 **Oh dear! Not looking good for Yugi and Anzu. They regret all those lost chances.**

 **Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

I have checked the qualifications offered by Juilliard, and it would appear that the Batchelor of Fine Arts in dance is a four year course. I think I might have mentioned that Anzu would be studying in New York for two years in a previous chapter. Anyway, she will actually be gone for four years!

Warnings: Some swearing and aggressive behaviour in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter 5

Standing at the departure gate at JFK airport, Anzu hugged her parents goodbye.

"Take care sweetheart. We will ring you as soon as we arrive home." Her mother kissed her cheek.

"Thanks for coming to see me on my birthday." Anzu did not really want to let them go.

"Come on, or they will miss their flight," Peter teased, taking her hand and leading her away.

She twisted around, waving as she watched them go, with a slightly heavy heart. It would be months before she saw them again. "Maybe we could go to Japan in the spring," Anzu said hopefully. Peter just shrugged and pulled her towards the subway rather impatiently.

"Maybe." He sounded non-committal.

As soon as they were back at Juilliard, Anzu made the excuse that she was tired and had chores to do. Peter scowled, but let her go.

Back in her room, she took the cards and little gifts her friends had sent her for her birthday from under the bed and started looking through them. It warmed her heart that they had all contributed something that would make her smile. There was a small, toy soldier from Honda, a signed photo of Jonouchi, with a scrawled note on the back saying 'I bet ya always wanted one of these!' and a big yellow smiley face sticker. There was also a voucher for a free coffee from Otogi – a hint that she was long overdue a visit home. Mokuba had given her a Blue Eyes White Dragon key chain from him and Seto. And there was a pair of mittens from Shizuka and a scarf from Ryou – they would come in useful once winter arrived. Of course, the gifts she treasured most were from Yugi – a Kuriboh plushie and a 200 dollar gift voucher for her to spend at Bloomingdales.

It made her feel a little guilty that she had not sent Yugi anything for his birthday.

Perhaps she should ring him to offer an apology.

She carefully placed everything back into the cardboard box and put it back under her bed. If Peter ever found it, he would go 'ape shit' - as Sally would so eloquently say.

Her parents had brought several magazines and books with them for Anzu to read. While they were here, she had not had chance to look at them but now that she had some quiet moments to herself, she decided to start reading them.

She picked up the packet they had been wrapped in and eased them out. There were three altogether.

She was immediately drawn to a popular monthly magazine. Trembling slightly, she picked it up and grazed her fingers over the image adorning the front cover.

"Yugi," she breathed in amazement when she saw how mature and handsome he looked. The professional photography had highlighted his features and his deep plumb/violet eyes looked sharp like Atem's but still retained the softness which defined him as Yugi. A light dusting of designer stubble gave his jaw a masculine, rugged look and she found her heart beating ten to the dozen as she gazed upon him.

She quickly opened the magazine to find the four page feature on Yugi.

Her heart skipped a beat as she read the article. She would have to look online and see if she could find links to the advert and television shows that he had appeared in.

There were several photographs of him that had been taken recently. They were lovely and he looked like he had grown taller and broader.

Her heart dropped when she turned the page and saw him pictured at a film premier, wearing a tuxedo and with a very beautiful, sophisticated young woman on his arm. "Yugi..." she sighed nostalgically.

The woman on his arm should have been her!

Her bedroom door opened and Peter came barging into the room and eyed her suspiciously. "What are you doing?!" Anzu startled. She did not have time to put the magazine away.

"Nothing! My Mum brought me some stuff from home. It makes me feel a bit homesick, that's all."

"Let me see?"

"It's in Japanese, you won't understand it." She carefully placed the magazine with Yugi on the front cover, face down.

"So!" Peter shrugged and snatched up the magazine before she could react. "I thought so..." he growled. "You still want him to fuck you! Is that it?" He ripped the front cover in half and swiped at her with the magazine. Anzu put her hands up to defend herself.

"Peter! No! It's not like that. I don't..." She was stopped abruptly by a hard, backhander to the face.

"Well it's me that loves you, not that asshole! Got it?!" He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and twisted her to face him. He stopped when he saw the bright red hand print, that was already starting to swell, and the tears running down her face. "I'm sorry! Oh my god! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... Anzu... Please, forgive me?" He started sobbing crocodile tears and wrapped his arms around her.

She tried to push him away but he was too strong, so she sagged in his arms. "Why? Peter, why? What do I have to do and say to prove to you that Yugi is just an old school friend?"

"Please don't tell anyone I hit you! If you do we will _both_ face difficult questions. It won't look good."

"In what way won't it look good? You shouldn't hit me just because you are jealous of my friends!"

"I know that!" He snapped. "I said I'm sorry! I will never hit you again, okay?!."

Anzu turned away from him and frowned. "I want to believe you, but you scare me with your temper. I wish you wouldn't get so angry."

Peter gripped her shoulders and shook her. "Look!" He huffed. "I will try to control my temper if you promise to end your friendship with that guy in Japan." He gestured at the magazine.

There was visible tension on her face and in her shoulders as she inhaled deeply – this was not what she wanted. "Okay..." She sighed as she spoke, letting out the deep breath she had taken.

Peter smirked arrogantly at his victory, while Anzu was starting to wish that she could find a way out of this relationship.

Anzu felt sickened and angry with herself for forgiving him. Her self esteem was starting to suffer but she had her pride and did not want people to think that she was weak for letting him abuse her! No, she would have suck it up and concentrate on her dancing. She would achieve her goal of gaining a distinction and graduate with a her BFA. Nothing would stop her, not even Peter.

::::::::::::

Unaware of what had been taking place in New York, Yugi and Shizuka were sitting behind the counter discussing this year's Battle City tournament that would be taking place at the weekend.

Due to its high profile sponsorship and the fact that it was the home of the worlds two most distinguished duelists: Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba, Battle City had become one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. The three day gaming exhibition that ran alongside it attracted vast numbers of visitors, all keen to see the very latest in Kaiba Corporation's gaming technology and to watch the worlds best duelists compete for the coveted world title.

As current holder, Yugi would be there to defend his title.

"Kame Game has been invited to run a stand at the exhibition. Since I will be dueling, Grandpa will be in charge, but it would be really good if you can help out," Yugi informed her.

"Thank you Yugi. I would love to!"

The doorbell chimed and much to Yugi's dismay, an old admirer sashayed in. Yugi felt his heart drop.

"Yugi! It is so good to see you again." Thankfully, the counter was an effective barrier between them.

Yugi gulped and tried to act casually. "Hello Vivian." He was polite but wary of her motive for visiting him.

"I am in town for the tournament this weekend and just had to see how you were. I must say you have changed a lot! Taller than I remember and even more handsome. And who is _this_ little girl?" She threw Shizuka a derisive look.

Yugi blushed and he heard Shizuka huff in annoyance. He was quick to defended her. "Shizuka is not a little girl, she is Jonnouchi's sister and a good friend. She helps me in the shop after school and at weekends."

"He has a sister! What is Katsuya doing now? Is he still _trying_ to be a duelist? I saw Mai a few weeks ago at a tournament in Germany and I was surprised he was not there, trailing after her like a puppy on a lead," she drawled spitefully.

"My brother is already a fine duelist! He doesn't trail after anyone!" Shizuka replied abruptly. "He has been busy working hard so that he can look after his family. He doesn't have time to travel to _minor_ tournaments to play against lower ranked players." She avoided telling her that it was really because he did not have the money for the air fare.

Vivian completely ignored Shizuka's retort. "Will you be dueling Yugi?"

"Yes, I will be," he confirmed.

"Ooh... lovely! I can't wait to beat you," she winked.

"You can certainly try." Smirking confidently, he folded his arms.

Slightly intimidated yet turned on at the same time, Vivian purred seductively. "Why don't we put our rivalry aside for now and spend some time together? You can take me for a romantic meal and then spend the night pleasing me. I still intend to make you my love slave you know."

Yugi did not know what to say and just stood there with his jaw flapping. He heard Shizuka hiss angrily under her breath. "That woman! Who does she think she is?!" It reminded him of the sort of reaction Anzu might have.

Yugi almost let out an unmanly shriek when Shizuka slipped her arm around his waist and tentatively nuzzled against him. "Sorry Vivian, but Yugi is already going out with someone."

Vivian just laughed. "In your dreams sweet pea. Yugi is mine."

"Actually..." said Yugi, finding his tongue at last. "Shizuka and I _are_ going out together." He placed his arm around her.

Shizuka could not stop the smile from forming and was tempted to blow a raspberry at Vivian.

Vivian scowled at her spitefully. "We will see about that! I will duel you for him, little girl!"

"I am not a duelist, but I will still beat you... bitch!" Like her brother, Shizuka was a fighter. Yugi raised an eyebrow at her language – he had no idea she was so feisty.

"What did you call me?! You little cow..."

"That's enough!" Both women startled when Yugi raised his voice. "No one is dueling anyone for me! I will see you at the tournament...Vivian."

"I don't give up that easily you know!" Vivian stuck her nose in the air and pivoting on the balls of her feet, flounced out of the shop.

Yugi groaned and slumped forward, bumping his forehead on the counter. "Why me?!"

"Sorry Yugi, I didn't mean to... its just .. that horrible woman! They way she came in here and virtually told you to sleep with her!"

"Don't apologise Shizuka, it wasn't your fault. It's mine, for being so stupid. I should have been firmer with her the first time I met her. She tried it on then, but I was a bit timid in those days and just stood there like an idiot with my face buried in her cleavage! I should have pushed her away, but... (truth was, he had enjoyed it) I'm taller now, so it won't happen again!"

"I know you only see me as your best friend's little sister anyway," Shizuka sighed. She decided to take a chance and admit she liked him- "It would be nice if you and me were going out together though. But I understand if you don't like me in that way..."

"I do like you Shizuka, it's just complicated. Jou is my best friend and I am still hung up on Anzu. I would hate to just use you as a substitute for the girl I lost. Your brother would never forgive me and I don't think I want to be on the receiving end of one of his right hooks!"

"Don't worry about katsuya! Who I go out with has nothing to do with him!" She said defiantly.

He let out a sigh. "I'm just a loser when it comes to relationships, you would be better finding someone who can love you properly, rather than a guy who is pining for someone who doesn't love him."

"You're too hard on yourself Yugi. People fall in and out of love all the time, and they get over it and move on. If you refuse to let yourself love anyone other than Anzu, you will never be happy and you will just drift from one girl to the next.." She bit her lip. "With respect, you are already starting to do that."

"Yeah, you're right, I don't feel good about it. But it just doesn't feel right. To wake up in the morning and imagine it's Anzu next to me only to find it isn't – that's messed up!"

"I know it's difficult for you, but you have to move on." Shizuka placed a comforting hand over his. He looked up and smiled.

"Thanks Shizuka, you're a good friend."

"I have an idea! Why don't you and I go on a date? Not a romantic date, just an informal one - as friends. Maybe if we hang out and just have fun, it will help you to get over Anzu."

"I don't know... Just friends?"

She nodded. "Yes, just friends."

"Okay, but please don't fall in love with me or anything silly, because I'm not worth it."

"Don't say that! Of course your worth it Yugi. Anzu is the loser; for leaving you and meeting someone else!"

"If you say so," he smiled. "I have to deposit the takings in the bank. Why don't you come with me? We can go and get something to eat afterwards. We can call it our first date if you like."

Shizuka's face brightened. "Okay! You're on!"

It was the first time Yugi had actually socialised with Shizuka. Of course, they worked together and she sometimes came to Otogi's with Jonouchi when they all hung out there, but that was different. Sitting opposite one another in Burger World, munching burgers and fries and sipping on coke, they felt relaxed. Yugi actually found himself chatting away happily about some of the crazy things he and Jonouchi had got up to when they first met.

Shizuka was horrified about the two confrontations with Hirutani and his gang. "Katsuya never told me! But I'm glad you helped my brother escape from the hold Hirutani had over him. You were so brave to stand up to that horrible thug like that!"

"Yeah, I guess.." Yugi felt a bit dishonest taking the praise for something his other self had done, but she seemed impressed so he decided not to tell her who had really been the hero.

"Katsuya met Hirutani when they were in grade four, Shizuka continued. "Even when Hirutani was only ten years old, our parents disliked Him. He was cruel to the other children and had a sadistic streak. After my parents split up, Katsuya spent more time with him and his gang of thugs. Hirutani didn't like my brother having any friends outside the gang and was really nasty to Hiroto. After that Katsuya stopped being friends with Hiroto. It was a shame. My Mum and I moved away so I don't really know much but I do know that my brother got into some trouble."

"I knew Jonouchi was in a gang before he came to Domino High School, but I never knew any details. Jonouchi told me some stuff but I don't think he told me everything," Yugi admitted.

"The best thing that ever happened to my brother was meeting you Yugi. He really looks up to you."

Yugi started laughing. "Even though I'm still about three inches shorter than him!"

"Your big heart and great personality make up for your lack of height. And your hair or course." They both chuckled.

"Now you're just trying to flatter me." Yugi patted down his spiky hair and it sprang straight back up.

The time flew by and it was now early evening so Yugi drove Shizuka home. "Thank you for this afternoon Shizuka, I enjoyed your company," he said politely.

"You're a really nice guy Yugi, Anzu is a fool to let you go." On impulse, she leaned over and kissed him. The kiss was aimed at his cheek but he moved to say something and her mouth briefly connected with his. "I'm sorry!" She gasped, face flushing.

"Don't be." He touched her silky hair with his fingers. Her lips were still slightly parted, tempting him in. Unable to resist, he leaned forward and kissed her. Shizuka's heart thumped like crazy as his lips moved against hers and she responded with a passion she hoped would leave him desperate for her. Yugi was slightly surprised! She did not seem as innocent as her brother had lead him to believe! Shizuka knew how to kiss!

Shizuka was definitely not innocent; she had been kissed by both Honda and Otogi after dating each of them. Her brother begrudgingly let her go out with Honda but she had to date Otogi behind her brother's back! Neither of them kissed as well as Yugi though. Otogi thought he was a great kisser but kept shoving his tongue down her throat – which she hated – and he slobbered. He also had hands like an octopus and kept trying to grope her. Honda, was an okay kisser, but rather boring and on one occasion his teeth had accidentally knocked against her lip leaving her with a sore lip.

Yugi had soft gentle lips and he kissed slowly and sensually, making her feel warm and fuzzy inside. When he pulled away, he left her breathless. She couldn't let him go now! "Do you want to come in? There's no one home. My brother's at work and Dad is away on a course for recovering addicts."

Part of him really wanted to say yes. "No, I shouldn't, it wouldn't be right," he said softly, "I'm sorry," he released her, "I had better go." He wouldn't make eye contact.

"Yugi! I'm not sorry. I want to be with you." She reached up and touched his cheek, trying to get him to look at her. He glanced up at her with a guilty expression, his beautiful plumb coloured eyes slightly glazed. He was so close to saying yes!

"No," he said softly, "We're just supposed to be friends, remember?" He gave her a playful wink and it only served to make her want him more.

The look of adoration she gave him caused his insides to clench. He did not have the courage to tell her that this was all wrong; he was all wrong. He simply said- "see you tomorrow."

After she got out of the car and had gone indoors, he thumped the steering wheel. "Idiot! Why am I such an idiot?!" Driving home, he could not help wondering how he had managed to become the type of guy who seduced women so easily. He had been that close to going inside the house with her. And then what?! Take her virginity! What a sleaze that would make him. Guys like Otogi were womanisers and did that sort of thing, not hapless fools like him.

When he got home, Jonouchi was waiting outside the store. "Hi Yugi! Where you been man? I finished work early so I thought I would swing by to take my sis home."

Yugi almost cringed when it occurred to him what he might have been doing at this very moment.

He tried to act normally."You plan to take her home on your bicycle?!"

"Yeah, why not! When we was kids, she would sit on the handlebars of by bike, and we would ride around the park," he chuckled. "We fell of once and... Yeah, perhaps it ain't such a good idea after all. Anyway, where is Shizuka? I was surprised to find the shop locked up!"

Feeling rather guilty, Yugi repressed a shudder at what might have occurred if Jonouchi had gone straight home and found Yugi there with shizuka. "Mum and Grandpa are both out. I had to go to the bank so I closed up early and took Shizuka with me. I just dropped her home." He stifled a gulp.

"Ah, thanks Yuge, you're a real pal. Dunno what me and Shuz would do without ya." The compliment made Yugi feel like a totally two faced bastard.

"Oh, I'm not that great."

"Nah, you're awesome, little buddy! Why don't I buy you a beer?" Yugi started to make excuses but Jonouchi was not listening. "Can I chuck my bike in your garage? We can walk. It ain't far to the pub."

A beer, turned into three. Yugi was not the best at holding his drink and two bottles of larger were enough to make him tipsy.

They were playing a game of pool. It was the one game that Jonouchi could actually beat Yugi at, sometimes. "Man I'm starving! Fancy going to Burger World after this game Yugi?"

"Well... I erm," Yugi scratched his head, "already had a burger there earlier. I took Shizuka."

"Oh! No worries, I can get a takeaway if you don't wanna go there again." Jonouchi spoke casually to begin with, but then raised his eyebrows. "Wait up! You took Shizuka for a meal?!" Raised eyebrows turned into a smirk. "You ain't dating my sister behind my back, are you Yugi?"

"What?! N.. no! It's not like that!"

"You sure?! I might look dumb but I ain't too stupid not to notice that she likes you."

"No, no... she doesn't like me at all.. we're just friends." Yugi started rubbing the back of his head.

"Come on Yugi, spill? I know you're hiding something. You're scratching your head and cringing like the kid who stole the cookies!"

Yugi sagged. "Alright, but please don't get angry... I kissed her. I didn't mean to but she gave me a quick kiss and I made it a proper kiss. I apologised. It won't happen again."

Jonouchi grinned. "You kissed Shizuka?! If there is one guy on this planet I do trust to take care of my sister, it's you Yugi. So if you wanna go out with Shizuka, that's fine by me."

"You sure? I'm not exactly reliable at the moment. If Anzu asked me to go back with her I would. I wouldn't want to hurt Shizuka, she's far too nice for that."

"Listen Yugi, you don't know my sister as well as me. Her eyesight problem knocked her self esteem when she was younger but it also made her pretty determined and quite strong willed. She may look innocent but she's clever and usually gets what she wants." He potted the black to win the game. "Yay, I win!"

"Well done Jonouchi." Yugi accepted the three nil thrashing gracefully – his mind had been elsewhere and he had not really been trying anyway. The pair sat down to finish their beers. "So, Jonouchi, you really wouldn't mind if I dated Shizuka?" He asked tentatively. "Only.. she kind of.. asked me and I don't now what to do. I like her, but she thinks I'm some sort of amazing guy, which I'm not. I have slept with three different girls since Anzu dumped me for Peter Perfect, "he said bitterly, "I don't want to add Shizuka to my list of conquests."

"Three different girls?! Way to go Yuge!" He playfully punched Yugi's shoulder causing him to flinch.

"It's not something I'm proud of, they just kind of happened. Girls seem to want me! It's a pity Anzu doesn't," he huffed.

"And my sister also likes you, eh? Listen Yuge, I know this might sound a bit screwed up, but I would rather she was with you than with someone like Otogi. I found out the dude tried it on with her! Thankfully, she said no! I told him, if he touched her I would break his nose. I wouldn't really coz he's a pal, but the threat worked. Don't tell my sis, she doesn't know! She would go mad at me for interfering."

"No, I won't say anything. But what makes you think I'm any better than Otogi?"

"Because you respect people and you would not take advantage of her for fun. Otogi boasts about the girls he says he's slept with, and I don't want him doing that and tarnishing my sister's reputation."

"Oh! But what if I do... you know, sleep with her and then we break up. Would you be angry then?"

"It ain't really my place to tell you what to do, but if you dishonoured her in any way, I would string you up by your balls. But I know you would never do anything bad to hurt her. Anyway, she's more likely to break your heart rather than the other way round," he chuckled.

Yugi looked surprised. "Why do you say that?!"

"Because she has a short attention span. She goes crazy for something and it's the best thing since Teriyaki beef noodles, for a short time, then she gets bored and moves onto something else."

"O...kay!" Yugi looked confused. "Now that you mention it, she does get bored quickly. She flits from job to job; packing toys one minute and dusting shelves the next."

"Yeah, she's always been like that. Into Hello Kitty one minute and My Little Pony the next – We could never keep up!" They both laughed.

"Seriously though Yugi, if you wanna take Shizuka out on a proper date, you got my blessing."

"Thanks Jonouchi. But I think I will just stay friends with her for now."

Jonouchi nodded his understanding.

* * *

 **Anzu and Yugi are becoming more estranged, while Anzu has found herself in a violent relationship. Like so many women who have abusive partners, is at a loss about how to escape and keeps making excuses for him. Anzu is often seen as quite a wilful character, but even the strongest of women can get sucked in by someone like Peter and then caught up in a cycle of abuse. Will she find the courage to speak out and get help?**

 **Please Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to everyone who took time to review the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter 6.

The following morning, Yugi was slow getting up. Three beers and a mind that was working overtime had not been the best recipe for a good night sleep!

Sugoroku chuckled when Yugi shuffled into the kitchen for his breakfast."You're looking a bit tired this morning my boy!"

"Yeah... I didn't sleep well, that's all."

"Oh dear! You're not going down with a fever are you?!" His mother worried.

"No Mum! I'm fine. Just couldn't get to sleep," he shrugged, sitting down and pouring himself some tea from the pot.

"Are you nervous about the tournament this weekend?" Sugoroku wondered. "After all, it is your first official defence of your Battle City title!"

"No, of course not! Well, maybe a little. But I am looking forward to it! I was thinking about other stuff, that's all." He did not wish to tell them that he was thinking about Anzu, and trying to work out what he would say to Shizuka when she came in to help later.

"Ah... Women trouble," Sugoroku smirked knowingly. "Looks like you're a chip off the old block. I always had several different women on my mind too! Thankfully, I met your grandmother and after that I was content with one woman."

"Grandpa!" Yugi went red, while his mother tutted and rolled her eyes.

"My Yugi is not like that!" His mother protested. "Stop putting ideas in his head!"

"it's okay Mum, Grandpa is right," he sighed. "I was worrying about Anzu. She's got this boyfriend who doesn't like her friends – in particular, _ME_! And Shizuka kind of likes me and I don't know if I should go out with her.."

"Why not Yugi? Shizuka is a lovely girl. If Anzu is putting this new boyfriend above her genuine friends then that is her loss. If I were you, I would try to forget her." His mother rubbed his arm comfortingly.

"Thanks Mum but I can't just abandon Anzu. We might not be together how I want but she's still my friend."

His mother smiled gently. "You were both very young when you first met. It's understandable that you feel an attachment to her, but our lives and the way we see the world changes immensely after we leave school. Teenage romance seldom lasts. You will understand when you are much older."

"Your mother speaks sense Yugi. When I was sixteen I fell in love with a girl called Umeko. I thought we would be together forever," he beamed dreamily.

Yugi chuckled. "What happened?"

"She left me for six foot judo instructor," he pouted, pretending to look hurt. Yugi nearly choked on his tea.

"Don't listen to your grandfather's daft fairy tales Yugi," Hana tutted. "What would you like for breakfast? There's fresh melon, rice with vegetables and scrambled eggs."

Yugi wiped away the tea he had dribbled down his chin when he had nearly choked. "I will have all of those, please."

In New York, Anzu was with Peter, Sally and one of Peter's house mates, Ryan, in the main restaurant of the school, eating their early evening meal.

There had been no more mention of the incident earlier today when Peter had struck her, and Anzu had used make up to hide the bruise. Sally had commented on her plastering on a lot of foundation and blusher, but Anzu explained that she was practising doing her make up in different ways until she found the product and colour that best suited her.

"Oh!" Sally had shrugged and looked sceptical.

However, all Anzu could think about now, was finishing the meal so that she could ring Yugi. It would be getting on for nine in the morning in Japan and she wanted to catch him before he went out or was busy working.

"I'm not feeling very well," she told her friends, placing her knife and fork down.

"Do you want me too walk you back to your suite?" Peter offered.

"No, I can manage. I just feel a bit sick and have a headache starting."

"I will walk you. I don't want you going back on your own if you are ill," Peter insisted.

"Well, I need to use the bathroom first." If Anzu could not get rid of him easily, she would have to go to the one place he could not follow.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Sally asked.

"No, I am fine," Anzu smiled. "Just need to, you know... pee," she mouthed.

Sally's mouth made an O as she nodded.

As soon as she was safely inside the ladies toilets, Anzu took out her phone and sat on one of the stools in front of the vanity unit and hit dial.

Yugi's phone was in silent mode and was sitting on the dresser next to his bed, plugged into the charger. The radio was on in the kitchen and Yugi was eating his breakfast, oblivious to the phone vibrating madly upstairs.

"Damn," Anzu muttered to herself when it went to voicemail. She left a message- _**"Hi Yugi! I just wanted to say thank you for all the lovely things you sent for my birthday. How did you know I could use some new clothes?"**_ She said teasingly. _ **"I might buy a dress with the voucher or maybe shoes – hmm... Mum gave me a magazine with you in. Love your designer stubble. Do you still have it? Good luck in the tournament. You will win, I just know it. Erm... Call me if you can.. Bye."**_

Anzu made her way back to the dining table. "I feel a bit better now," she informed them. "Anyone having desert?"

By the time Yugi went back upstairs to unplug his phone, Anzu was walking back to her suite with Peter and Sally and Ryan.

Her phone rang. Hesitating, she reached into her bag to answer it. She tilted the phone so that she could see who it was without taking it out of her bag. It was Yugi. _Damn!_ She dare not answer it with Peter around.

"Aren't you going to answer that Anzu?!" Sally wondered.

"Nah... Marketing call." The lump in her throat threatened to asphyxiate her as she hit reject.

Yugi was surprised when his call was suddenly cut off, but assumed that she was too busy to answer.

He decided to send her a message: _**"Pleased you like the gifts. Yeah, it took me nearly a week to grow the stubble, and they still had to photo shop it to make it look a bit thicker! I shaved it off afterwards. I will call after the tournament. If you get time you can follow it live on Kaiba's gaming channel. Gotta go! We have a shipment of cards being delivered, to sell at the expo. Speak soon, bye."**_

"Who was that really?!" Peter enquired, suspiciously as they arrived back in Anzu's room.

Anzu sighed – it was no use lying. "It was Yugi." She noticed how Peter's face twisted into a scowl and was quick to offer an explanation. "I always reject his calls, just like you asked. Hopefully he will get the message I'm not interested, eventually!"

"Yeah, well if I catch you talking to him, or any other guy, I won't tolerate it, got that?!" He threatened.

"Yeah, I got that," she muttered sarcastically.

"Good!" He smiled. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"No, I think I'm going down with a cold or something. I am going to have a nice bath and go to bed." She forced a pretend sneeze. "Ugh! I feel all shivery. You should probably keep away if you don't want to catch it."

"Hmph..! That's good timing," he said with scepticism. "Well, get a good night. I hope you feel a bit better tomorrow because we have a tough practice session to run through, for the assessment." He blew her a kiss and stomped away.

As soon as he had gone, Sally popped her head round the door.

"What was all that about?!"

"Nothing, I don't think he believes that I have a cold starting."

"You don't seem like you have a cold! Is everything alright?"

"Of course everything is alright, why wouldn't it be?"

"I dunno... You have been unhappy the last few days and he seems really on edge. Did you know he got into trouble for attacking another student?"

"No! When was that?"

"This morning. It was during voice coaching. Darren told me that George asked him how his hot little Japanese girl was and he went ape shit! Shoved him so hard that he fell over the chairs and hurt his back."

"Really! No one said anything to me!"

"That's because they are all scared of Peter. They have started calling him psycho behind his back! He's close to failing the assessments."

Anzu frowned and bit her lip. "It's my fault! He thinks I still like Yugi. He gets really upset if I mention my friends in Japan. He doesn't even like me hanging around with you and Katie."

"Yeeah, we have noticed how overbearing Peter is! Do you still like Yugi?"

"Of course I do, he's my best friend! But there's nothing romantic - not any more," she said sadly.

"You do still like Yugi, I can tell by your voice. I'm starting to wish I had never forced you to go out with Peter. I had no idea he was a violent prick who beat up his girlfriends!"

"You didn't force me! And he doesn't beat me up! Do you think I would still be dating him if he did?!" Anzu huffed indignantly.

"Anzu!" Sally whined. "You didn't think I fell for that excuse about the make up plastered on your face, did you?! There's no shame in admitting he has hit you! God! You have to make him get help before it gets any worse. If you are not careful, his bad attitude will start to have an effect on your grades! You must tell someone!"

"No! I can't, I promised him! He got really upset after he slapped me and was embarrassed. I can't put him through the humiliation of being hauled before the principal and possibly expelled!"

"Maybe he should be expelled. It might teach him a lesson. No man has the right to use violence on a woman as a means to make her his possession. I'm gonna tell him to his face, what I think."

"No! You mustn't say anything, he'll know I told you!"

"Why are you defending him?! Are you happy being treated like _his_ possession?"

"I'm not his possession. I have no intention of staying with him or marrying him. I don't even know if I want to keep dating him! I am thinking of finishing with him once the assessment is done."

"What if he turns nasty and refuses to accept it is over?"

Anzu lowered her gaze. "I am worried about that," she whispered. "What have I got myself into?" She said, tears threatening to fall.

"Try not to get upset Anzu! Just remember that you have friends who want to help you. If _you_ won't tell someone, I will. I won't stand by and let him hurt you."

"Please don't say anything to anyone?" Anzu started to cry on Sally's shoulder.

After a few moments she pulled away and wiped her face. "I will deal with it myself, promise. Just be there for me if I need you, okay?"

Sally smiled tentatively. "Yeah, if that's what you wish. My lips are sealed." She pretended to zip up her lips. Both girls laughed.

"Thank you Sally, you're a good friend." The two girls hugged in solidarity.

"What are you going to tell Yugi?" Sally asked.

"Nothing! I can't tell him Peter is bullying me! He will freak out!"

"Yeah, but he's your best friend – or was. He needs to know what's going on."

"So he can do what? I've been here over a year and he has not even visited me, because he's too busy!"

"He hasn't come because you are dating someone else Anzu! If you tell him you have finished with Peter, I bet he will come."

"No! I don't want him here! Not while Peter is like he is. If I dump him and then Yugi shows up, Peter is likely to react violently. Yugi is not a fist fighter, he's kind and gentle, but if Peter threatens, he will defend me with complete disregard for himself. And I don't want him to get hurt."

"So, what? You're just gonna keep it secret from everyone! At least tell your parents."

Anzu looked at her with utter horror. "What?! My Dad would murder Peter! He would probably sue the school and make me return home! I can't run to them every time I get into a little scrape. I will sort it out myself!"

"Okay, but promise you will stop Peter from hitting you, even if it means telling the school counsellor or the nurse."

Anzu nodded. "I will give him one last chance."

:::::::::::

Honda had kindly lent Yugi one of his father's company vans. It was much bigger than his family's car and he could transport the merchandise they would be selling at the expo, in one go.

Shizuka was extremely embarrassed following his rejection of her proposition. What on earth had possessed her to be so forthright? It made her cringe and she had spent all day at school thinking about it. She even considered not turning up for her shift at the shop this afternoon.

But that was cowardly, she would have to face him at some point, and it might as well be today.

She got off the bus and walked nervously towards the shop. She hoped that Yugi's grandfather was not around to witness her embarrassment. She was pretty sure Yugi would not have told anyone about what had happened.

As she approached, she did not see Yugi wheeling a trolley stacked with boxes from the garage at the back of the shop, towards the van.

She paused at the door and could not bring herself to go in. She was just about to turn around and run when she heard him call out.

Thankfully, this was the last of the boxes. Everything had fitted into the van perfectly.

Yugi was just about to push the trolley up the ramp into the van when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to see Shizuka standing with her hand reaching out towards the door. She suddenly pulled it away and spun round to flee. He had to stop her so that they could at least clear the air.

"Hey! Shizuka?" He called out. "I'm over here!"

She stopped and gathered herself before walking over to him, awkwardly. "Hello Yugi. I didn't think any one was in!"

"Yep! We're in!" He chuckled. "Grandpa's minding the store while I load up the van. I'm going to drive this lot over to the Kaiba Stadium. Do you want to come with me?"

"Well..." she bit her lip and blushed.

"If you're worried about yesterday, don't be," he grinned hesitantly. "Still friends?!" Sheepishly, he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Yes," she nodded. "But I feel really stupid!"

"You are not stupid, I am, but you're not. Come on, get in!" He opened the passenger door for her.

"We are both stupid!" She got in.

He ran round and shut the rear doors before hopping into the drivers side. "How about we pretend it didn't happen and start again?"

"Except it did happen and I made a fool of myself," she muttered.

"No you didn't! I almost said yes! Thank the Egyptian Gods I didn't because your brother was waiting outside the store when I got home."

"Really?!" Shizuka gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "I bet that was awkward?!"

"Yeah, a bit! I didn't tell him the details, but he knows we kissed."

"Why?! You shouldn't have said anything," she snapped.

"I don't like too many secrets. Jou is my best friend. He told me that We have his blessing if we want to date," he said casually. His flippancy steeled Shizuka's resolve.

"I have given it a lot of thought all day. I don't really think we should date each other."

"Huh?!" He was a little confused.

"Yes, I do like you, a lot. It might just be a crush, it might not – I don't know. But I don't want to be in a serious relationship with anyone and I think you are a really sweet guy for saying no last night. I know you and Anzu love each other and both of you are my friends and.. and I think you should tell her Yugi, before it's too late." She exhaled, pleased with herself that she had managed to say all that in one go.

The red traffic light Yugi had been stopped at turned to green but he did not move. "What do you mean? I thought..." There was an angry toot of the horn from the impatient motorist behind. "Yes alright!" Yugi hissed in annoyance through gritted teeth. He slammed the van in gear and pulled away. "I thought she was happy with Peter, and doesn't love me," he admitted.

"Yugi!" Shizuka whined. "She's crazy about you. She asks me about you all the time! I _know_ she loves you. She just won't do anything about it and neither will you! It's about time one of you did something, because it's driving you both mad."

Frowning, Yugi chewed his lip and gripped the steering wheel, concentrating on his driving.

Shizuka glanced and could see by his face that his mind was working overtime. She remained silent for a few minutes while he pulled into the car park at the Kaiba stadium, and then continued. "I'm sorry for being so blunt, but everyone except you and Anzu know that you two should be together!"

Yugi turned to face her. "Does she really love me?!"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure."

"Like, how sure?"

"Very, very, sure. What will you do?"

"Probably nothing," he shrugged. "At least not right away. It's complicated. I can't just go to New York and tell her to dump Peter, to be with me. It could cause a fight and get Anzu into trouble at the school - I don't want that."

"Then tell her how you feel when you ring her to say you have won Battle City!"

"If I win," he winked. "And, don't you want Jonouchi to win?"

"Of course I want my brother to win! But I want you to win too. I want you to both be in the final."

"Okay, I will make a deal with you. If I win, I will tell Anzu I love her."

"If you lose you will tell Anzu you love her too!" She smirked.

"Arghh!" He chuckled. "You are scheming Shizuka! Okay, deal. Win or lose, I will throw all my cards on the table and tell her."

They sealed it with a fist bump.

::::::::::::

The Battle City tournament would be underway by now and Anzu felt nervous for both Yugi and Jonouchi. It was the first time she had not been there with them, cheering their every move and feeling every emotion they went through, and she felt strange and oddly detached.

It was late in the evening and Peter had decided that he was not going to budge from Anzu's room which meant that she could not go online to check the results or watch their duels.

Anzu was bored. "Would you like some green tea before you go back to your own room Peter?" _Please take the hint!_

He shook his head to say that he didn't and stayed where he was.

Anzu rolled her eyes and made some for herself. "You know, it really is getting late. I think I will drink this and then go to bed."

He ignored her and started flicking through the channels on her small television. "There's not much worth watching," he complained grumpily.

"Well if you won't take the hint and leave so that I can go to sleep, we could maybe watch the live stream of Battle City instead," she said hopefully.

"I hate Duel Monsters, or whatever you call it. Is that Yugi guy playing?" He sneered suspiciously.

"Oh! I expect so," Anzu shrugged casually. "Lot's of my friends will be competing. Mai, Jonouchi, Mako Tsunami, those two creeps Haga and Ryuzaki – if Kaiba hasn't banned them from entering," she chuckled.

"I'm not really interested."

"Don't be like that! Come on, just try and watch one duel with me, please?"

He made a sort of growling noise but relented. "Okay, just one."

Full of anticipation, Anzu fired up her lap top.

"You have to pay to watch this shit!" Peter scoffed.

"I had to subscribe to Kaiba Corporation's official live stream. It's still the early rounds. There are several duels taking place right now." She scanned the results to see if she could find Yugi, Jonouchi and Mai.

She noted that both Yugi and Jonouchi had won their opening duels. "Mai is dueling right now!" She grinned excitedly. "Let's watch her match."

"She's hot!" Peter smirked. "Who's that weird looking dude she's playing?"

"That's... Oh! That's Alister! They are playing a second round match."

"Looks like a freaking girl," Peter snorted.

"I won't disagree with you on that," Anzu giggled. She did not tell him what Alister had been involved in with Doma.

Her phone beeped to say she had a message. She picked it up and saw that it was from Yugi to say that he had won his first match and Mai was dueling against Alister, right now!

"Oh! It's Shizuka," she fibbed.

She texted back to wish him good luck in the next round, and informed him that she was watching Mai's duel online.

Yugi sent a message back with a smiley face.

Anzu smirked and replied that she had faith in him to win the tournament.

"What are you smirking about?"

"Shizuka asked me if I am watching Mai's duel. I'm just telling her that we are."

He snatched her phone from her hands. "Yugi! I might have guessed," he snarled.

"Give that back?!" When she tried to grab her phone, he punched the top of her arm, making her flinch from the pain.

She got up and backed away from him. "What is wrong with you? It's just a message!"

He threw her phone at her, hard. She turned away and it hit the side of her head, leaving a stinging bruise.

Anzu had reached her limit and snapped. "That's it Peter, I've had it with your temper. There is nothing going on between me and Yugi. I used to think I was in love with him but it was just a crush. We are still friends and always will be so if you don't like it you can go and get lost! I'ts over between us Peter." She picked up her phone and turned to storm out of her room. "When I come back I want you gone!"

"Anzu! No! I love you," He jumped up and barred her exit. "Please, can you forgive me? I have been stressed out lately. I'm struggling to concentrate in class and I'm in danger of failing my assessment. Once I get through it, things will be different, I promise."

Sighing, Anzu relented. "Okay, I will try. But what happened to the awesome guy I first met?! You were top of the class, I can't believe you are struggling."

"I haven't told anyone, but I have been suffering from pain in my left leg. Everyone seems to have improved while I'm kinda stuck at the same level. It's frustrating." He started to cry – but it was just acting.

Anzu suddenly felt really sorry for him. "I'm sorry if I have done anything to make it worse for you. If I can do anything to help, just ask." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "If your leg is that bad, why not go and see the physio?"

"Maybe I should," he nodded.

Her friends had heard the shouting and came out of their rooms to investigate. "Is everything okay?" Sally enquired with an intense glare.

"It's all under control. Peter has in injury and he had promised to see the doctor," Anzu placed emphasis on the word doctor, for sally's sake.

"Yeah, well keep it down, some people are trying to sleep," Katie grumbled.

"Sorry katie. It's time we got some sleep too," Anzu said to Peter.

"Yeah, goodnight. I will see you in the morning." Peter looked between the girls awkwardly and left.

Anzu doubted that the situation was going to get any better.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed.**

 **Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

I was not intending to include any duels in this story. Instead, I have just briefly summarised what happened in each duel. Apologies if you enjoy reading duels - I know some people do and some don't. They are certainly a hassle to write!

Warnings for some swearing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter 7.

The following morning, Anzu woke up with a tender arm where Peter had punched her. She gingerly rubbed her hand over the bruising that had formed on the outside of her bicep, right on the boniest part or her upper arm and frowned at how painful it was- he must have punched harder than she thought.

Moving her fingers to her scalp, she flinched when she felt a slight bump and tender spot where her phone had struck her.

Getting out of bed to peer into the mirror, she could still see some slight discolouration on her cheek bone from where he had previously struck her.

She inwardly groaned. Sally was right, she could not let this continue.

But neither did she want to end things with Peter just yet! She wanted him to get help for whatever it was that was troubling him.

She doubted that Yugi was the real reason he was violent towards her; Yugi was just an excuse. The real problem had to be something far deeper that was causing him to be so paranoid and insecure.

When she had first met him, he had seemed much more laid back and happy, but as the months progressed, his dancing had faltered and he had fallen behind the other students. He also seemed to lack concentration, while his attitude to those around him had become selfish and at times spiteful.

How could someone change so much in the course of nine months?!

Helping him would be a challenge, but Anzu loved a good challenge. And anyway, if she did try to dump him, she doubted that he would accept it graciously and she was too afraid to try it and find out. The best course of action was to get him help before he hurt anyone else.

She would start this morning by persuading him to visit the medical centre.

However, her first priority was to check what had been happening at Battle City while she had been sleeping.

It would be late evening in Domino and play had concluded for day one. She scanned the results and was relieved to see that Yugi, Jonouchi and Mai had all made it through to tomorrow's quarter finals.

She had messages in her in box from Shizuka, filling her in on the days events.

After reading through them and firing off her reply, she ate some breakfast and then got ready.

Dabbing some foundation over the mark on her cheek and choosing a loose fitting, long sleeved top to cover the bruise on her arm, Anzu made her way to Peter's suite.

Ryan answered the door. "Hi Anzu. If you're looking for Peter, he went out already."

"Oh! That's odd, we have a practice room booked at eleven. I was going to help him with the dance routine for the assessment – he's been struggling. Do you know where he's gone?"

"No, sorry. He didn't say. Since it's Saturday, we were all enjoying a lie in. None of us have seen him."

"Oh, okay then." Anzu checked her watch. It was still only ten thirty. She assumed that he had either gone to the cafe for breakfast, gone to the gym, or gone to the medical centre as she had suggested.

He was not in the cafe so she decided to check the medical centre next. He was not there either.

At five to eleven, Anzu gave up looking for him and went to the practice room, only to find him already there. "Peter! Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere and you weren't answering your phone!"

"Sorry!" He was jumping up and down on the spot. "Been out to see a friend."

Anzu raised a confused eyebrow. "Have you had too much coffee this morning? You seem wired!"

"Yeah, probably. Come on, let's get started before it wears off!"

His dancing was rather erratic, and Anzu had soon had enough of him doing what he wanted instead of following the correct moves. "Can you concentrate?! This is about the routine set for the exam, not you doing your own freestyle!"

"Spoilsport!" He grabbed her, twirling her round and pulling her in to perform an Adagio. Grabbing her by the waist he hoisted her aloft until she was airborne. Anzu instinctively moved through the air, gracefully landing the jump. Peter leaped athletically into the air alongside her, but as he landed, let out a yelp. His leg buckled and he fell to the floor.

"Peter! Are you alright?" Anzu was immediately by his side, checking him over. "What happened?"

"Damn leg gave out. Shit!" He started rubbing the back of his thigh. "I keep getting a sudden pain shooting down my leg. My hamstrings keep getting tight too. It's really stating to piss me off!"

"No more excuses! You need to see the physio. It sounds like a trapped nerve or something. Let's go now!"

grumbling, he reluctantly agreed.

Following an X-ray and scan, it was concluded that Peter had an imbalance following a torn muscle in his side. As a result, his spine was jammed up in his lumbar region, trapping the nerves. The osteopath told him that he would have to take it fairly easy and would need a period of strengthening and rehabilitation to get everything working properly again.

"What about the assessments? They are next week and I can't afford to miss classes and training!" Peter huffed angrily.

"I will write you a medical exemption. It might be a good idea if you delay the exam to give yourself a better chance of a full recovery. If you don't rest, it won't heal and the problem will persist."

The atmosphere walking back to their accommodation was tense. Anzu could feel the anger and frustration radiating off Peter and it made her very nervous. She did not know what to say.

"Maybe it's for the best. It will give you chance to catch up! They will do re-takes in the new year," she suggested helpfully.

"I will be held back! I have already been given a warning. If I fall any further behind, or fail the assessments, I will be kicked out! You know how high standards are here."

"But you can't help it if you are injured. They might let you drop back a year."

"Screw that!" He snapped angrily. "Stop making stupid suggestions! Get out! I want to be alone."

Anzu did not need telling twice and beat a hasty retreat.

Back in her own suite, Anzu found her friends chatting about the Battle City tournament.

"Hi, Anzu," Katie said cheerily. "George is really into Duel Monsters! I was telling him you are friends with some of the duelists."

Anzu suddenly found her gloomy mood lifting. "Yes!" She beamed happily. "Yugi Mutou, Katsuya Jonouchi, Mai Kujaku are really close friends."

"Do you know Seto Kaiba?!" George grinned. "His dragons are awesome!"

"Yeah, I know Kaiba." she laughed bitterly.

"I take it he's not your favourite then?" George teased.

"He has a bitter rivalry with Yugi and he is not very nice to people. No, he is not my favourite person," Anzu admitted.

"Have you seen the latest results?" Katie's boyfriend, Lucas asked.

"I know my friends are all through to the quarters. What time is it now? I have been in the medical centre with Peter and have lost track of the time"

"Is he okay?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. It turns out he's got a trapped nerve and needs physio. Looks like he will miss the assessments. He's in a foul mood and wanted to be on his own so I thought I would leave him to calm down a bit. I will check on him later."

"Yeah, he's had a problem with his back for a while," Ryan said. "I told him to get it looked at but he told me to mind my own business, so I did."

"Yeah, well if that's why he's been such an asshole to everyone, then I don't have any sympathy," George added, still feeling aggrieved at being attacked by Peter the other day.

"Do you want to know the order of play?" Everyone nodded enthusiastically at Ryan's suggestion. He pulled up the latest news on his I-phone. "It's four in the afternoon here so it's around six in the morning there. The quarter final duels start again at eleven. I guess you want to know who your friends are playing Anzu?"

Anzu nodded. "I already know that Yugi is playing against Vivian Wong," she said, trying not to grind her teeth. Viv had better keep her slimy paws off him!

Anzu inadvertently made a snarling sound. making her friends all chuckle and look surprised.

"Are you okay Anzu?!"

"Oops! Sorry! Just thinking out loud," she blushed. "Vivian Wong is a piece of work. She deliberately hurt Grandpa Mutou's dodgy back to get to Yugi," she explained.

"That was really mean," Sally agreed.

Ryan continued. "Mai Kujaku against Rebecca Hawkins."

Anzu had forgotten about Rebecca! Whoever won would play Yugi. "It had better not be Rebecca!" Anzu thought out loud, with a shudder. The little vixen would be about fifteen now and was bound to throw herself at Yugi.

"Anzu?!" Sally laughed. "What's wrong with Rebecca?!"

"We have history. I'm afraid neither Vivian or Rebecca can keep their hands off Yugi. I am worried because I am not there to protect him from them."

"Maybe he doesn't want protecting! They are hot chicks," George chucked, "they can put their hands all over me any time." The boys all laughed and nodded their heads.

Anzu groaned.

"Men!" The girls huffed in unison.

The other quarter final duels were between Seto Kaiba and Leon (Von Schroeder) Wilson, and Katsuya Jonouchi was up against his old rival for Mai's affections, Valon.

"Who's duel is up first?" Anzu wanted to know.

"The two ladies, Mai and Rebecca – I think." Ryan answered.

"We could stay up all night and watch the duels! Who's up for it?" George suggested.

"The final will be around six in the morning here. Do you think we can all stay awake that long?" Sally asked.

"I am in favour of staying up!" Lucas replied. "If anyone wants to fall asleep, we can wake them for the final."

"We can use our suite. I have a decent sized television and as long as we keep the noise down, we should be okay." Ryan offered.

With everyone agreed, they all went back to their own rooms to rest for the remainder of the afternoon.

Anzu was really happy that her friends were keen to watch Battle City. She had kept quiet and not said much about it to any of them for fear of upsetting Peter. But if they all wanted to watch the tournament, then Peter would not have much of a say.

Back in his room, Peter had been sulking. It was not fair that everyone else was doing well in school, while he was struggling. Maybe it was partly his own fault for ignoring an injury, but he still considered it unfair. He had tried taking short cuts, but so far, it had not really paid off.

There was only one thing for it, he would have to keep going and hope that the problem improved.

Removing the bottom drawer of his dresser, he pulled out the flat box that was hidden in the space underneath and took out a small vile of liquid, along with a syringe.

Hearing the door to the common room slam and the voices of his friends all chatting happily, Peter startled but continued with what he was doing – his door was locked.

"Hey! Pete man, you in there?" Ryan called.

"Yeah, what's up?!"

"You gonna watch the duel-fest tonight? The girls are gonna come round at eight and watch it with us."

Peter growled in annoyance. "Did Anzu put you up to that?" He was pretty sure she had poisoned everyone behind his back, with her stupid prattle about Yugi and Jonouchi and that busty bird who's name he had forgotten.

"No! Don't be a dork! It was my idea. George is coming too so you can apologise to him for hitting him the other day!"

"Fuck off!" Came the reply.

"Are you gonna shout insults through the door or are you going to come outside and play?"

"I'm in my underpants, I can't have you all feeling inferior, can I!" He attempted to make a joke out of the situation.

"Anzu told us about your back injury! Sorry man."

"Yeah, well I'm not going to let it stop me." He hurriedly put the box back in the space under the drawer and slid the drawer back into place before stripping off and putting on his dressing gown.

Opening the door, he marched past his friends. "I'm gonna take a bath. Bitch of a physio pummelled me like dough. I ache all over."

He slammed the bathroom door shut, leaving his friends shaking their heads at his attitude.

::::::::::::

By the time everyone settled to watch the duels, Peter had cheered up a little. But Anzu could still feel the tension radiating off him as they sat down.

And when Yugi's duel was announced, Anzu felt him tense beside her as he clenched his fists.

As soon as Vivian appeared, it was Anzu's turn to clench her fists.

Yugi had hoped he would be able to avoid Vivian – no such luck! She was in his half of the draw and had made it through to the quarter finals.

He politely stepped up to shake her hand. "Good luck Vivian," he smiled. Vivian clasped his hand and placed her other hand on his chest, running it seductively down to the buckle of his belt. She did not care that thousands of people were watching, she wanted people to see him melt under her touch. She also wanted to make him feel flustered, giving her the advantage.

She leaned forward so that her lips were almost touching his. Her advances drew oohs, ahhs and wolf whistles from the audience. Back in the common room, Anzu inwardly growled.

Yugi remained stoic and did not react.

"If I win, you spend the night with me." Vivian breathed, her strawberry scented lip gloss brushing his lips so that he could taste it.

Anzu could feel the coil of irritation twisting inside her gut. She finally snapped. "That bitch!" She voiced loudly. "What does she think she's playing at?!"

"Man, look at the King of Games though?!" George observed. "He's not even flinching. He must be really in the zone!"

At that moment, Yugi stepped back slightly, just out of her reach. " _If_ you win," he smirked. It was implied in a way that told her she did not stand a chance. For a moment Anzu thought he was the other Yugi!

"That's it Yugi, you tell that cow!" Anzu almost leaped out of her seat to celebrate.

"Anzu! Stop getting so uptight! You're like a lioness ready to pounce on her prey!" Was the only way Sally could think of describing her friend's behaviour.

"Well, honestly," Anzu snapped. "Vivian is so lame. Her only strategy is to try and seduce Yugi into submission. As if _that_ would work."

"Someone is jealous," Lucas sang in a teasing voice.

Everyone started to giggle until Peter suddenly shouted at them. "Why don't you all shut the fuck up!"

The atmosphere became tense. "Geez! It was only a joke," Lucas huffed.

"It's okay Peter." Anzu took his hand. "I'm not jealous, it's just that Vivian uses that tactic every time and it's getting old. Peter pulled his hand away and ignored her.

When Yugi won his match against Vivian, everyone in the room - except Peter - leaped up, fist-pumping the air and whooping.

Anzu felt relieved that Yugi had won and proud that he had been so decisive in his victory – Vivian had not stood a chance. Yugi was probably dueling better than Anzu had ever seen him duel.

:::::::::::

Much to Anzu's relief, Mai beat Rebecca and would be Yugi's opponent in the semi final. As always, Mai flirted outrageously with Yugi and to Anzu's surprise, he gave as good as he got.

Anzu's face went scarlet when her friends laughed at Mai's opening line- "Don't underestimate me like you did last time hon," she pouted. "I am not going to lie back and just let you take me, no matter how cute you are," she winked. Anzu nearly spat out her cola.

She was even more shocked and almost choked on her cola when Yugi replied with a smirk- "Don't worry, I will not go soft on you this time Mai. I think you will find me much harder."

"What's with all the innuendo?!" Sally looked to Anzu for an answer.

"Don't ask me!" Anzu squeaked. "For some reason, Mai likes to tease him! It's all just harmless fun," she hoped.

It was a tough, well fought match and Yugi was the victor.

Jonouchi and Kaiba also made it through their quarter final matches, to face each other in what was a tense semi final full of vitriol. Sadly, the dueling was overshadowed by the two men hurling vicious insults at one another. Jonouchi gave Seto a fright when he almost pulled off a shock victory. However, Seto Kaiba prevailed to set up the final that everyone had been hoping for: Yugi Mutou versus Seto Kaiba.

The match had everyone on the edge of their seats as the two men threw everything but the kitchen sink at each other, in a duel that neither player seemed to gain the advantage for long.

Towards the end, both men looked exhausted.

When Yugi was forced to fend off an attack from Neo Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, everyone thought it was the end. He was sent flying through the air as his Dark Magician Girl and Lemon Magician girl vanished from the field. The audience, along with Anzu and her friends were left stunned.

Anzu felt a sense of dread and a hush descended as they watched the screen flicker from the static as the cameras filming the match shook. Thick grey smoke filled the arena for a moment and everyone watching feared that the King had lost his crown.

But as the smoke cleared and Yugi struggled back onto his feet, they heaved a sigh of relief. His remaining 700 life points remained intact.

"How did you survive that?! Your life points should be zero!" A stunned Seto gasped. This was not good, he had put everything into his final attack. It should have worked.

Yugi wiped his hand across his mouth, smearing the blood on his lips from where he had bitten his tongue. "I knew you would place all your bets on that one card Kaiba! I was ready. You were so intent on beating me that you ignored my face down cards. When your dragon attacked, I activated Dimension Reflector. It gains the same attack and defence as your dragon. Your dragon is destroyed. And that's not all..."

"I know," Seto interjected. "Just get on with it," he seethed.

"It's special effect allows me to inflict damage equal to your dragon's attack. You lose Kaiba!" He accidentally spat blood as he spoke.

Seto's dragon had 4500 attack but his life points were only 800, and having played most of his cards already, he had nothing left to counter it.

There was an eruption of cheers as Yugi stood bloodied but victorious.

Anzu screeched and leaped into the air in jubilation. "I knew Yugi would win! I never doubted him!" Although, for one moment, she almost had.

Sally jumped up and did a little dance with her. They all celebrated, all that is, except Peter, who just sat there with a sullen expression.

They turned their attention back to the screen to see Shizuka run onto the stage with a handkerchief and wipe Yugi's mouth.

The affectionate way she tended him, made something in Anzu's chest hurt. Could they be?!

The compare handed Yugi a bottle of water to rinse out his mouth. "I'm okay," he confirmed. "I just bit my tongue when I landed on the floor. It's not serious."

A reluctant Seto Kaiba shook Yugi's hand as they were awarded their trophies.

::::::::::::

It was nine thirty on Sunday morning when a tired but elated Anzu went back to her room.

Moments after she flopped down on her bed, Shizuka rang to inform her of Yugi's victory. Jonouchi and Mai were there with her and were bickering in the background.

Anzu confirmed that she already knew that Yugi had won because she had stayed up all night to follow the duels. Shizuka was impressed.

" _ **Well, it's eleven thirty at night here. There is a big party being held for all the duelists and their families. Yugi wanted to ring you himself but he is tied up with press conferences and stuff. I will let him know you watched him duel – wasn't he amazing?!"**_

The awe and admiration for Yugi was evident in Shizuka's voice and Anzu was tempted to ask if there was something going on between them, but she refrained – it would probably only sound full of envy anyway.

" _ **Enjoy the party. Is Yugi okay? I saw you wipe the blood off his chin for him."**_

" _ **Yes, he is fine. He bit his tongue during Kaiba's attack but it's not bad."**_

" _ **That's good. I am going to get some sleep now. We've got assessments all next week so I need to be fresh and on my game. Can you ask Yuig to ring me when he gets time? I will be up at seven thirty Monday morning and my first class is at nine. And say hi to those two bozos squabbling in the background for me?"**_

Shizuka laughed and Anzu heard her tell them- "Anzu says stop bickering and make love instead."

" _ **Shizuka! That's not what I said!"**_ She heard them all laughing on the other end of the line.

They said their goodbyes and Mai called out to say that she would be in New York for a visit in ten days time and would be in touch later in the week to arrange meeting up.

Anzu went to sleep with a slight niggle in the back of her mind – was there something going on between Yugi and Shizuka?

::::::::::::

After winning the tournament, Yugi had been obliged to do interviews. As soon as the interviews were over, he was ushered to the post tournament party. He barely had a moment to breathe, let alone try and ring Anzu! He was glad that Shizuka had called her for him.

By the time he got home it was nearly two in the morning. He really wanted to ring Anzu now but Shizuka had told him that Anzu was spending most of Sunday sleeping because she had stayed up all night to watch the tournament.

His chest swelled with pride to think that she had stayed up all night, just to watch him duel.

Despite his own late night he found himself waking up at seven in the morning with Anzu and the deal he had made with Shizuka on his mind.

Hopefully, Anzu had caught up on her sleep and would be awake again by now so it was probably a good time to call.

Right at this moment, he felt more nervous than at any time during the tournament. Within the next few minutes, he would tell Anzu that he loved her and that he wanted them to be a couple. Anzu would either tell him that she loved him back or would break his heart.

With trembling hands, he hit dial.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed. Next chapter, Mai pays Anzu a visit.**

 **Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

Please note, this is not a new chapter. I was not happy with the flow and have added breaks in places where the situation has changed, which will hopefully make it clearer.

Sorry, but Mai did not make it to New York in this chapter. I had so much material written down and even after editing it down and removing the waffle, I had thirteen thousand words. In the end, I decided to split the chapter in half. So it will now be next chapter!

Warning for a bit of bad language.

...And the usual disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated.

Chapter 8

It was getting late in the afternoon. Anzu was still dozing when she heard a knock on her door. Yawning, she stretched and then called out. "Who is it?" She squinted at the clock – five pm! She had only meant to doze for an hour maximum and could not even remembered dozing off, let alone sleeping for over seven hours!

"It's Peter," came the reply. "Do you wanna go and get something to eat?"

"Yes, alright." Anzu rolled off the bed, still in the clothes she had been wearing for the duel marathon the night before. Her make up was smudged and her hair was sticking out on one side.

She opened the door. "I had no idea I had been asleep that long!"

"You look a fright!" He chuckled.

"Way to make a girl feel great. Do you want to wait here while I go and brush my teeth and shower?" He nodded that he would wait and Anzu grabbed some clean clothes and dashed off to the bathroom.

Peter picked up one of her magazines and sat down on the chair to wait. He opened the magazine and flicked open the pages. It was in Japanese and he did not understand a word of it. Grunting, he chucked it back on the desk.

Anzu's phone started ringing. Intrigued as to who it might be, he picked it up. Seeing that it was Yugi Mutou, he scowled.

At first, he was tempted to answer it and give the man a piece of his mind for pestering Anzu, but then he had a better idea. He hit reject call.

He sat looking at the phone for a moment as he pondered his plan.

Yugi was surprised when his call was abruptly cut off rather than going to voicemail. Maybe it was a network error!

He sent Anzu a message, to say that he really needed to talk to her about something important and wondered if she would be free to Skype, as soon as possible.

He was not prepared for the reply he received.

Peter snarled as he read Yugi's message.

With a self satisfied smirk, he sent his reply- _**I don't know what it is that's so important you need to Skype. But I have to tell you something important too: Peter and I have just got engaged. I think it is probably best if we stop contacting each other. I don't love you and never will so stop pestering me. If you try to call me I will not reply.**_

Feeling smug, he deleted Yugi's voicemail message. He also deleted the message he had just sent to Yugi.

The phone rang again. "Persistent bastard!" Peter hissed quietly and rejected the call. He then placed Yugi's number on the auto reject list and deleted the call history.

Confused, Yugi tried ringing again but found that he was now blocked.

Feeling utterly disheartened, Yugi stumbled into the bathroom. He needed to clear his head. The word _engaged_ kept overpowering his thoughts.

He brushed his teeth, shaved and showered on autopilot. _Engaged!_ No! It could not be true.

"You look a little pale Yugi! Are you okay? I thought you would be happy after your victory!" His mother placed his breakfast in front of him. He ignored his breakfast and continued to stare at his phone.

"I'm fine Mum. I am happy." His voice was flat and his mother looked at him with a worried expression.

"Are you sure? If you keep looking at your phone like that it will explode! Has something happened?"

Yugi frowned at his mother. "It's weird. I just got a message telling me to... well," he coughed to clear the lump in his throat, "she basically told me to stop pestering her!"

"Who told you to stop pestering her sweetheart?" Hana's voice was laced with concern for her son.

"Anzu. I tried ringing her but I think she rejected my calls. I messaged her insead and she sent back a reply saying she was engaged to Peter Bloody Perfect, and told me to stop pestering her!"

"That doesn't sound like Anzu! Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" He snapped. Yugi knew his mother was only trying to be helpful and immediately felt guilty for snapping at her. "Sorry Mum, I shouldn't take my anger out on you."

"It's alright sweetheart." She stroked his head, as she had always done when he was a little boy and was upset about something.

"I don't understand! It just doesn't sound like Anzu!" He whined.

"I would agree, it does seem strange," she informed him. "I bumped into Anzu's parents in the supermarket yesterday. They told me Anzu misses her friends, and they asked after you. They wondered when you would be visiting her. They did not mention any engagement!"

"Maybe she only just got engaged and hasn't told them yet." He let out a huge, depressive sigh. "I guess it's about time I moved on. But I just don't get it! Anzu was the one who was really keen for everyone to remain friends after we left school, yet she is the one who has broken the promise we all made."

"People always have the best intentions Yugi, but it's difficult. I fully intended to keep in touch with all my friends when I married your father and moved to Domino, but our little group of friends soon drifted apart. The only person I have remained in touch with is Keiko."

"Yeah, It's kind of sad." It was not fair – just a few hours ago he was on cloud nine, having won Battle City, and now...

::::::::::::

At around eleven thirty, Jonouchi, Mai, Honda, Bakura and Shizuka arrived.

"Hey Yugi! How's my spiky haired little duel champ today?! You spoken to Anzu yet? I thought we could Skype her!" Jonouchi was as boisterous as ever and tried to grab him in a headlock.

Normally, Yugi would take it all in his stride and play fight him off. But he was in no mood for Jonouchi's antics today and uncharacteristically elbowed his friend in the ribs, irritably.

"Hey! Wosup buddy?!" Jonouchi jumped back in surprise, rubbing his ribs.

"Nothing is up! Sorry, I'm just a bit tired and.. and" - he quickly made an excuse- "sore from Kaiba's attack at the end of the duel."

"Yeah, you idiot!" Mai flicked Jonouchi's ear. "Why can't you ever think before acting?!"

"Ow!" He glared at Mai. "Sorry Yugi..."

"No, I'm sorry for elbowing you," Yugi muttered sheepishly. "But I already messaged Anzu. She will be in bed asleep by now." He forced a rather cheerless grin. He did not want them to know what had happened with Anzu – he would deal with it in his own way.

Shizuka glanced at Yugi with a sad smile. She did not say anything in front of the others out of loyalty to Yugi, but she guessed that his confession to Anzu had not gone well. She desperately wanted to throw her arms around him and ease his pain, but she refrained.

"Would you like tea or coffee?" He offered.

"Well, actually, since it is a nice day, why don't we all go to the park for some fresh air?" Ryou suggested.

His friends all liked the idea, so putting on a brave face, Yugi also agreed to go.

As he laced up his shoes, he decided that it might do him good to get out. However, they did not get far. Descending the stairs to the shop, they found Grandpa talking to a small group of kids who had come into the shop in the hope of meeting Yugi. Their eyes lit up when they saw not just Yugi, but Mai and Jonouchi too.

Word soon got out and it was not long before the shop was crowded with eager fans, all looking to meet their heroes.

Sugoroku saw it as an excellent business opportunity and the afternoon turned into an autograph signing.

Eventually, they were forced to close the shop so that everyone could take a break.

Bakura and Shizuka offered to help Grandpa clear up the mess left behind in the shop, while the others went upstairs with Yugi.

As always, Jonouchi and Honda made themselves at home. They sat down to play Grand Theft Auto without even asking it it was okay. "Man! I'm starving," Jonouchi grinned.

"You've got a nerve!" Mai scolded.

Yugi forced a laugh. "It's okay Mai, I will go and get everyone some snacks."

Mai went with him. "You really shouldn't let Jonouchi take advantage like that Yugi."

"I don't mind. It's what makes him Jonouchi!"

Mai just shrugged. "If you say so. Anyway, I have something more important to talk to you about."

"Oh!" Yugi looked surprised. "What is it Mai?"

She doubted she would have much time before their friends came out to the kitchen to find out why it was taking them so long to get drinks and snacks, so she cut to the chase. "What's going on with Anzu, Yugi? You say you're fine but I can see you are not."

"Nothing is going on! We are not a couple! I don't know why everyone keeps thinking we should be!" He snapped irritably.

"For a start, it's not like you to snap peoples heads off. I don't need my aromatherapy to tell that you are unhappy about something. What is it Yugi? I might be able to help!"

"How can you help?"

"Well, for a start, I'm flying out to New York on Thursday. I was planning to pay Anzu a surprise visit."

Yugi's expression brightened. "That would be great! I would go myself but I don't think I would be very welcome with Perfect Peter there."

"Why not?!"

Yugi snorted. "Because I am not sure she wants me there. I think that he has somehow influenced her to abandon her real friends. I got this message and I am worried that he made Anzu send it. For a start it is in English and Anzu usually messages me in Japanese." He showed her the message "Something's not right, I just know it. Anzu would never say something like that. The more I think about it the more strange it seems."

"I agree! Why don't you talk to her?"

"Because she won't answer my calls. I keep getting cut off, like I have been blocked or something."

"No way! Do you want to use my phone to call her? I'm pretty sure I'm not blocked."

Yugi' cheered up a little. "Thanks Mai. If you don't mind? If Anzu is not interested in being with _me_ then fine, I can handle it, but I can't stand the thought of her being trapped in a bad relationship." He was about to dial when he remembered the time difference. "Oh! I can't ring now, it's the middle of the night!"

"So what! Screw the time difference, just ring her!"

He hesitated for a moment. "Well... I guess." Yugi was just about to take Mai's phone from her when Sugoroku entered the kitchen with Shizuka and Ryou.

Sugoroku raised an amused eyebrow at the pair standing so close, touching hands. Shizuka pouted and looked hurt.

"Hello! What are you two doing in the kitchen... alone?!" Sugoroku enquired with a slight smirk.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Mai winked. "It's not what you think. We were just talking."

"What about?!" Said Shizuka frostily, making everyone startle.

"You may as well all know the truth," Yugi sighed. "I got a message saying Anzu and Peter are engaged."

"Did you talk to her?!" Shizuka gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth.

"No, I didn't talk to her. I couldn't get through. But I got this message." He showed them.

"Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry Yugi, I had no idea they were that serious," said Ryou, full of concern.

"They're not! Or at least, I didn't think so. But I think I've been blocked, so Mai was just lending me her phone, when you came in."

Jonouchi popped his head into the kitchen. "Hey! Quit yapping. There's guys starving out here!" The response was a wet washing up sponge in the face, courtesy of Mai.

When Mai rang Anzu's number, it went to voicemail.

::::::::::::

Thanks to Peter keeping her up very late on Sunday evening, Anzu managed to sleep through her alarm on Monday morning.

She had managed to get out of sleeping with him by saying that she had her period. Thankfully, he had not forced the issue and had been content to watch a film. However, he would not let her leave until the film had finished, so it had been nearly one in the morning by the time she got back to her own room.

She was woken by Sally hammering on her door. "Anzu! It's eight o'clock, are you up yet? Have you forgotten we have an exam at nine?!"

"Oh! Crap!" Anzu leaped out of bed too quickly, making her head spin. "Peter wouldn't let me leave last night," she admitted as she opened the door.

"What is wrong with that idiot?! He knows you have an exam this morning. Just because he's injured doesn't mean he can fuck up your chances of passing."

"He's going through some issues at the moment! I can't be too harsh on him and it's not like I will be late. We have plenty of time." Anzu made herself a cup of tea and tipped some cornflakes and milk into a bowl for her breakfast.

"Yeah, right! What's happening with his exams? Is he deferring them?"

"Nope! He's insisting he will be taking them. His exam is this afternoon." Anzu sat down on the sofa to eat.

"Promise me something Anzu? If he fails, you will stay out of his way. I don't want him taking his failure out on you."

Anzu gave a funny little laugh. "Don't be silly! Of course he won't take it out on me. If he does fail, he will need all of his friends to be there for him."

"Let Ryan and Lucas deal with him. You're already covered in bruises. I don't want him using you as a punch bag."

"I'm not covered in bruises!"

"What's that on your arm?"

Anzu glanced down at her arm and shrugged. "I walked into the door frame. It's got nothing to do with Peter!" She said indignantly.

Sally sighed. "There you go again! Making excuses for him."

"I'm not making excuses! I can look after myself okay, so stop worrying!"

Sally rolled her eyes and conceded. "Just be careful."

::::::::::::

The two girls finished getting ready and rushed down to the practice studio to warm up. Anzu was full of confidence and was actually looking forward to the exam.

It was only as she stood fidgeting in the changing area, waiting for her moment, that she began to feel nervous. Her legs felt like jelly and her ballet slippers felt like lead boots – what if her feet refused to move?

However, as soon as the music started, she launched gracefully into the routine she had rehearsed so thoroughly, that it had become second nature. It really could not have gone any better and Anzu skipped out of the studio feeling happy with herself.

Both Katie and Sally also felt that their exams had gone extremely well. The three girls decided to celebrate with large chocolate milkshakes.

It was only once they had ordered their milkshakes and had sat down, that Anzu decided to check her phone. "Crap! I have lost my phone!" she frowned, rummaging in her bag. "I must have left it in Peter's room last night. His exam is first thing after lunch. If I hurry, I might catch him."

As she hurried to his room to find her phone, she had no idea that Yugi and Mai had been trying to ring her.

The door to Peter's shared suite was open when she got there and Lucas was laying on the couch with his eyes shut and headphones on, singing loudly and out of tune. Anzu could not help but chuckle.

He jumped out of his skin when she tickled his bare feet.

"Wha...!" He squealed. Pouting, he pulled his headphones off. "What did you do that for?!"

"If you sing like that when you audition for the Broadway version of ABBA the Musical, you will be thrown in the Hudson."

He sniggered in response. "That bad eh?"

"Yeah, that bad," Anzu nodded. "Is Peter around?"

"Nah, went out a while ago. He was pretty uptight about the exam. How did your exam go?"

"Really great. Miss Gemma thinks I passed with flying colours. She said I nailed it. What about you?"

"I have mine in about one hour from now."

She wished him good luck. "Is it okay if I check Peter's room? I think I left my phone in there last night."

"You have a key, go ahead."

Thanking him, Anzu unlocked the room to his door and went in. She did not immediately spot her phone, instead her eyes were drawn to a small packet that had been left laying on the dresser. That was odd! The residue of some sort of powder remained on the surface of the dresser, along with a drinking straw that had been cut in half. Anzu knew virtually nothing about drug taking but had seen a film in which someone snorted cocaine. She instantly felt a pang of dread course through her.

Plucking up courage, she licked her finger and ran it round the inside of the little clear packet, coating her finger in the white powder. She had seen a detective drama where the detective dabbed it on his tongue to confirm that it was cocaine. What was it supposed to taste like? She had no idea!

Shuddering, she immediately wiped her finger clean – there was no way she was putting that on her tongue.

Grabbing her phone, she hastily left Peter's room, locking the door behind her.

"Did you find your phone?" Lucas asked innocently.

"Yes, thank you!" She said tersely, almost running out of the suite, leaving a rather puzzle Lucas sitting there.

Oh god! Who should she tell? Should she say something to Peter first?! Her mind was running in circles as she stumbled back to her suite.

::::::::::::

When Yugi got up in the morning to find that Anzu had still not called him, he sagged. What could be going on? He had left his phone on all night in the hope that he would hear from her, but nothing!

He could not understand why she would be ignoring them like that. Mai had also rang and left a message on Anzu's voicemail, requesting that she should ring Yugi to explain what was going on. Mai also suggested that if she really did not wish to speak to him she could ring her instead.

Yugi messaged Mai and Mai confirmed that she had not heard anything either. Anzu's silence was really starting to worry Yugi.

He wondered if he should try sending Anzu an e-mail; maybe she had forgotten to block his e-mail address - it was worth a try.

Unsure what to say, he pondered a moment. He ended up saying that he and Mai had been trying to ring her but were worried because they could not get a reply. He asked her if everything was okay, because he was worried.

::::::::::::

No one had seen or heard from Peter all afternoon. Anzu was relieved because right now, she did not think she could face him.

Before going to bed, she fired up her laptop to research the use of narcotics. Maybe Peter was using cocaine as a pain killer – but it seemed unlikely when she had already seen him use anti-inflammatory pills.

Yugi's e-mail popped up. Anzu was confused when she opened it. What did he mean by accusing her of ignoring him?! There were no messages and no missed calls from him on her phone! She gasped when it occurred to her that Peter might have read and deleted them! Was that why he was keeping out of her way?! Would he punish her when he saw her? She suddenly felt very afraid.

Anzu debated whether to tell Yugi everything and ask for his help. But what could he do to help her, when he was thousands of miles away? She could ask him what he thought about her finding what appeared to be cocaine in Peter's room, but decided against it. Until she had proof that was definitely what it was, she would be best off keeping it to herself for now.

Putting on a brave exterior, she replied to Yugi's e-mail: _**Hi Yugi. Yes, everything is fine. I mislaid my phone last night and have only just found it. I think there is a problem as I'm not getting any calls – sorry about that!**_

 _ **I completed the first part of my assessment today. It was a set routine that we had to perform and I think I nailed it. I'm so happy and relieved. I have the second part - which is freestyle - tomorrow. We are required to choreograph our own routine but have to incorporate certain elements into it. I have discovered I love doing choreography.**_

 _ **Congratulations for winning Battle City. I never doubted you would win. You were so amazing. How is your tongue? Shizuka said you bit it. Ouch! I loved the sour look on Kaiba's face when you beat him.**_

 _ **Say hi to the gang for me.**_

 _ **Love to you all. Anzu. X**_

::::::::::::

As Yugi read the e-mail, he realised that it could not have been Anzu who sent him that message. This e-mail sounded far more like Anzu and gave no mention of any engagement. And Anzu stated that she had lost her phone – or rather, had it stolen by someone! There was only one culprit Yugi could think of – Peter!

He sent her another e-mail that simply said. _**Skype?**_

::::::::::::

Anzu opened the link and smiled. It had been a while since she and Yugi had enjoyed a conversation on skype. "Hey Yugi!" She smiled. He smiled nervously in response.

"I really need to tell you something Anzu. I left it far too long to tell you how I feel..." At that very moment, the door flew open and a rather pissed off, dishevelled looking Peter stood there. "What are you doing?" He barked.

Anzu startled and slammed the lid on her laptop closed as she turned around to face Peter.

She did not hear Yugi's sentence beyond the word _something._

"Nothing! I was just checking my e-mails. For some reason, nothing is coming through on my phone. You wouldn't know why, would you?"

"I didn't give you permission to get your phone! Have you been snooping around in my room?!" His posture became tense and accusing.

"Of course not! I needed my phone back and I couldn't find you anywhere! Where have you been all day? Did your exam go okay?"

::::::::::::

On the other end of the line, Yugi suddenly found himself looking at a black screen and then his connection was terminated, leaving him puzzled and concerned.

He was pretty sure he heard a male voice shouting at Anzu in the background and she had literally jumped in fright when she heard it. _"Peter-"_ he hissed, clenching his fists. Anzu must be terrified of him to have reacted as she did, and he felt utterly helpless at not being there to protect her.

* * *

 **Apologies for another cliffhanger.**

 **Please review.**

 **Edited 5/12/16**


	9. Chapter 9

Warning: Some bad language and mentions of violence towards women, drug and alcohol abuse.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter 9.

An air of tension hung in the room as Peter and Anzu glared at each other.

"Peter! You're scaring me! You didn't fail the exam, did you?"

"No, the exam went okay. Pain killers helped get me through."

Anzu let out the breath that she had not realised she was holding. "That's a relief. But don't take too many pain killers. It's not good to keep taking them." Anzu knew her voice sounded forced and patronizing. She could not help it, she was annoyed with him but also nervous.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He sounded like a rebellious schoolboy. He stepped closer to her, leering. "How about we celebrate?"

Anzu knew what he was suggesting and tried to move round him. "Oh! I forgot. I said I would meet Sally."

"She can wait." Peter grabbed her around the waist roughly. "Come on, it's been a while..."

"Has it?!" Anzu squeaked, leaning back to get away from him. "Guess we've been too busy." That was when she noticed his breath smelled of alcohol. "Have you been drinking? You know alcohol is not permitted in school!"

"So what! I have been out to celebrate scraping through the exam."

"God Peter! If they catch you... Who were you with?!"

"None of your business who I was with!" he snapped. "And, they have to catch me first."

"Ugh! I am not letting you touch me unless you sober up. You smell horrible!"

His reaction was to shove her onto the bed and climb on top of her. "Bitches should know their place and not answer back! You do what I tell you to do! Got that?"

Thankfully, Anzu was saved by her friends returning to the suite.

Anzu glared daggers at him and pushed him off. "I will forget you ever tried that!"

He stormed out of her room and barged past her friends.

::::::::::::

By the time Anzu settled down to sleep, it was eleven o'clock. She had not dared to tell Sally and Katie that Peter had been about to try and force himself on her. As it was, they had give her a hard enough time over her decision not to speak to the counsellor about Peter being drunk! And Anzu did not want to disclose any more than she had to.

Having someone threaten her like that had been personal, degrading even, but she would not have given in and would have fought him off with her fists, feet, fingernails – anything. It would have been ugly and she wanted to forget about it.

But despite his behaviour, Anzu still felt he deserved a chance to explain himself and to clean up his act. It would not be fair to grass on him for one little alcohol induced indiscretion.

As she curled up under the covers, her thoughts turned to Yugi and her friends. At moments like these, she really missed them. Why was Peter such a jerk when it came to her friends?

Yugi been trying to tell her something before she rudely slammed her laptop shut. She wondered what it was. Maybe it was some exciting news about his ambitions to become a game designer.

She really should call him to apologise for ending their call so abruptly, but right now her brain was too tired to function.

Her last thought before sleep claimed her was that she should ring him in the morning.

::::::::::::

Yugi was starting to panic. Out out of desperation, he tried ringing Anzu again, but of course, he was still blocked. He tried using the telephone in the shop but that was also blocked because Anzu had listed under his name!

He decided to ring Mai and ask for her help. He explained what had just happened.

"I will call her now Yugi. Shall I meet you in the Steamer Coffee bar in fifteen minutes?"

"Grandpa is out so I can't leave the shop. Can you come here?"

"Okay, I will be twenty minutes."

Yugi waited anxiously for Mai to arrive. "Did you manage to speak to her?"

"No, I'm sorry Yugi. I got her voicemail."

Yugi felt frustrated. "Why doesn't she answer her phone?!"

"I can try again," Mai offered. "but it will be after midnight now in New York!"

"Yes, try again, it's an emergency! I heard someone shout at her – I'm sure it was Peter. I'm worried, I think he might be hurting her."

"Has Anzu ever given you any reason to believe he might hurt her?"

"Not as such, but I know he hates her being friends with me."

"Abusive relationships are often hard to get out of, trust me Yugi, I know! Women are often to afraid to say anything and the man will use threats to make them do what he wants. But if that loser is harming her in any way, I _will_ help put a stop to it."

"I hope it's not too late.." He gritted his teeth. "Argh.. it's making me so mad. I wish I could be more like Jonouchi and just go blazing in there like her knight in shining armour and beat the crap out of him."

"Yes, well it's a good job you're not like Jonouchi! If you took the knuckle head approach, you would either end up on an assault charge or in the hospital. It would make you as bad as Peter and Anzu would probably dump you both. No, if you want to help her, a more intelligent approach is required."

"Yeah, you are right." he admitted. "I don't think Anzu wants to see me anyway."

"Of course Anzu wants to see you, she is just afraid of how Peter would react!" Mai winked at Yugi and dialled Anzu's number.

::::::::::::

The following morning, after a restless night, Anzu had made up her mind that she needed to end her relationship with Peter. She was sick of being mistreated by him.

The last straw had been pushing her onto the bed. Would she have been able to stop him forcing himself on her against her will? She was relieved that her friends had come back so that she had not had to find out. Why did she ever consider him over Yugi? There was no way Yugi would ever disrespect her honour in that way.

When she turned her phone on, she saw that she had two missed calls from Mai. She fired off a message to say that she was fine and would call Yugi later – she was in a rush to get to class.

As she washed and dressed, ready for the last rehearsal of her routine for the next exam, she made a decision: she would end her relationship with Peter, and then she would ring Yugi to tell him she was single again. After that, it was up to Yugi to decide if he still wanted her. With everything she had put him through, she would not blame him if he had already moved on!

::::::::::::

Summoning her resolve, Anzu marched purposefully towards Peter's room to tell him it was over, before she chickened out!

By the time she knocked on his door, her resolve was starting to crumble. None of his house-mates were in and she was afraid of what his reaction might be.

Peter opened the door with a beaming smile, as if nothing had happened last night! He was washed, shaved and dressed in clean tracksuit bottoms and a tee-shirt. "Hi! I was just popping out to get cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast. Do you want to wait here and I will bring some back for you if you like?"

Anzu opened her mouth to say she had already eaten but closed it again as he bounced past her without waiting for a reply.

The moment he had gone, she heaved an exasperated sigh and sat down on the bed.

Suddenly remembering Sally's suggestion from their talk last night, she nervously started searching his room. She was unsure of what exactly it was she was looking for, but figured she would know if she found it.

She quickly looked under the bed and found nothing. She found a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels in the wardrobe, but still no drugs.

When she went to check the drawers of the dresser, the bottom drawer was stuck where Peter had not slid it back in on its runners cleanly. Anzu decided to fix it and gave the drawer a tug to pull it right out.

Her eyes went wide when she saw that in the space between the bottom of the drawer and the floor were several small packets of powder, small vials and some sealed syringe packs.

She jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" He had forgotten his wallet and had returned for it.

Usually, Anzu was very good at thinking up quick excuses. "I dropped my earring and it fell into the drawer. I went to pull it open and accidentally pulled the whole drawer out." She quickly threw the packet back into the drawer in the hope he would not see.

"You stupid cow! Leave my stuff alone!" He roared, lunging at her and pulling her away from the dresser, by her arm.

His grip was vice-like and painful. Anzu's temper finally snapped. She kicked his shin and pulled herself free. "What is that stuff Peter? Is this why you have been such a bastard these last few months?"

"Fucking shut up!" He yelled lunging forward to hit her but she grabbed the computer chair and shoved it between them, sending him sprawling over the chair and onto the floor.

"I've had enough Peter!" She screamed at him. "You don't like me having friends! You keep getting angry at me over nothing! And you have even started being aggressive to your class mates. Sally said people are starting to notice something is up with you. She wanted to tell the principal that you hit me but I stopped her! Now tell me what this stuff is Peter? Before I let her!"

Peter clenched his fists and Anzu let out a terrified gasp when he picked up the office chair and brandished it like a weapon.

She tensed and brought her arms up to protect herself as he let out a yell and threw the chair... She heard it clatter and opened her eyes to see it crash into the wardrobe, instead of her.

Peter's whole body sagged as he collapsed onto the bed. "Please, don't say anything." He started sobbing. "I was desperate! I went on a diet to keep my weight down. Then I got anaemic so I was finding it hard to keep up the standard required in class. Then I got this trapped nerve in my back and couldn't train properly. Because of all these problems, I started losing muscle tone. This guy I know suggested I use Nandrolone - it's a tissue building steroid. The other stuff is cocaine. And you know what that is." He pointed to the bottle of Jack Daniels.

Anzu re-gathered her composure and sat down beside him. "How long have you been taking it for?" She asked calmly.

"I don't drink alcohol very often, it was just what brought back with me last night. I have been on the steroids for about four months. I have kind of dabbled in cocaine for a couple of years. It helps me lose weight and is a good pain killer."

Anzu shuddered. "I don't know what to say!" She had dealt with megalomaniacs and demented, demonic spirits, but never before had she dealt with someone with a drug problem. "Is this why you are unpredictable and aggressive? You really scare me sometimes!"

"I'm sorry, I never mean to hurt you, but I get so uptight and angry at everyone for doing better than me. And when you talk about the bond you share with your friends in Japan I get really jealous - I don't even know them but I hate them. I have always had anger issues so I never really made close friends. I know I'm being a bastard but I can't stop myself." He sniffed.

"Here..." Anzu handed him a tissue. "You have to stop taking the drugs Peter. Go to the school counsellor and talk to her. She will understand. I'm sure you are not the first student to have drug problems."

"I can't." He shook his head. "The principal will have to be told, my parents will find out and I will be kicked out. My dad is a strict disciplinarian and will try to beat me like I'm still a kid. If he does, I'm frightened I will kill him! Are you gonna dump me too?"

 _Like father like son,_ she thought. Anzu heaved a big sigh. "I.. I.. don't know. Not if you promise to stop taking this crap! You're a talented dancer, you don't need this stuff!"

"I promise to try."

"Okay, well, let's start by flushing this before someone else sees it."

He gave her an incredulous glare. "You're fucking kidding me! That stuff cost a fortune."

"If you don't then it's over between us Peter."

"I can't just stop!"

"Yes you can."

"I can't flush it. I will give it back to the guy I bought it from – promise."

Hoping that would be the end of it, Anzu agreed.

Maybe she would help him get clean before ending the relationship.

With the cinnamon rolls forgotten, Anzu and Peter made their way to the dance studio for the practice sessions.

She decided to put off calling Yugi. She had no idea what she was going to say to him without worrying him. She decided that she would call him when she had worked out what she was going to do about Peter.

::::::::::::

Two days later, Mai arrived in New York. As soon as the plane landed and she was inside the airport terminal, she rang Anzu.

Anzu answered quickly. "Hello Mai!"

"Hi, Hon!" Mai was a little surprised it had not gone to voicemail for a change. "I just landed in New York and thought we could catch up."

"What?! You're here?! In New York!"

"Yup!" See you in a bit. I'm just getting into a cab now." Mai hung up.

When Mai arrived at the school, Anzu met her. "Have you got somewhere to stay? You can stay in my room. I have a fold out bed for when friends come to visit."

"Thanks, just as long as they don't mind guests. I wouldn't want you to get in any trouble."

"No, its okay. They allow guests to stay up to five days!" She took Mai to the suite she shared with two other girls.

"Wow! This is really nice," Mai observed.

"Yes, it's very comfortable. The facilities here are fantastic. We share the small lounge and have a small kitchen area to make tea, coffee, snacks... There are two bathrooms and this is my room."

While Mai placed her bags in Anzu's room and freshened up a little, Anzu made a pot of tea. They sat down on the sofa for a catch up.

"How long will you be staying for?" Said Anzu, pouring the tea.

"Three to four days, if you can tolerate me for that long! After I leave here, I thought I would go and visit an old friend in Nashville."

"Oh! Who's that?"

"Rafael. He's married now and his wife is expecting a kid."

"Oh! I didn't know. We made an effort to forget about that whole Dartz and the Orichalcos business. I didn't know you still kept in touch with any of them."

"Yeah, she chuckled. "Thanks to Dartz' lies, and the after effect of those green stones, we all suffered from depression. We did our best to help each other get through it. That's why I disappeared - I needed to do some deep soul searching. I even dated Valon! The pair of us worked the pro-duelling circuit together. It was fun for a while but I soon got bored. Anyway, enough about me, what about you?"

Anzu shrugged. "Nothing to tell really. I passed the recent assessments with flying colours and I'm loving the tough training they put us through. I really enjoy all my classes. New York is a bit intense compared to Domino, but I'm used to it now and I have made some great friends. I love it here."

"I must say, the hard work suits you, you look really toned and fit," Mai complimented. "I bet you really miss Yugi and the guys though! They are worried you are drifting away from them. Wasn't it you who was determined everyone should remain friends?"

Anzu's eyes went wide. "Of course we're still friends! I don't get much chance to call them because I'm really busy, but I think about them all the time! And, anyway, they hardly ever call me!"

"Yugi calls you, but he thinks you're avoiding him because you don't call him! He's really worried about you."

"Worried!" Anzu repeated. "Why?"

"Because of stuff like this!" Mai showed her the screen shot of the message Yugi had received.

"Is that a joke?! I never..." Anzu frowned. " _Peter..."_

"Have you checked your phone settings? I think you will find Yugi is blocked."

"Blocked?"

"That's what I said. Check your phone?"

"I left my phone in Peter's room. I knew he erased my messages and calls but I.." She gasped when she saw Yugi and all her other male friends had been blocked. "How could he?!"

"Do you love this guy?"

"No, I don't!" She said assertively. "Not like I love Yugi."

"Why don't you dump him and tell Yugi how you feel?"

"I want to but... but Peter is having some problems and I don't want to make things worse."

Anzu poured out the story of how he stopped her from going home for the summer, how he accused her of having romantic feelings for Yugi, how he hit her, how she discovered he was on drugs.

Mai listened quietly and sympathetically. "You have to tell someone. Is he off them now?"

"I hope so. He's been kind of quiet since I found them. I am frightened of him Mai. I want to dump him but I can't."

"He can't run your life for you Anzu. He had no right to block the guys. If I were you, he would be history. You have to tell your dance teacher, or whoever's in charge."

"It's not that easy Mai. I don't want to be the person who rats on him and gets him thrown out of school! I want to help him get over his problems, I can't just tell him it's over, it might tip him over the edge."

Mai rolled her eyes. "God! Anzu! How did you end up in this mess?! If you had made up your mind who you wanted in the first place then none of this would be happening! "

"I do know who I want!" Anzu blurted. "I want Yugi! I always wanted Yugi. I just wish I had done something about it! But I didn't and now I have lost him for good, so I'm trying to move on."

"What makes you think you've lost him?"

"I don't know! Because I left, because I cheated on him!"

"You didn't cheat on him! You weren't even dating him so how is that cheating?"

"We were sort of dating, but dating was frowned upon at school so we were more like friends. Trouble was, we got too comfortable as friends. In the end, I left for New York without either of us saying how we felt."

"So you never even slept together?!" Mai was surprised.

"No, we didn't." Anzu sighed with regret. "I always thought we would be each other's first and only love – what a stupid, naïve, school girl notion that was!" She huffed. "We kissed once, and that was as far as it went. If only I had told him I loved him. And the saddest part is, I think he thought I only saw him as a substitute for Atem.."

"Do you see him as a substitute?"

"No! I have never seen him as second best! I watched him develop from a shy boy into the most amazing, wonderful man! To begin with, I may have wanted him to be more like the other Yugi, but he has long since proved himself. The other Yugi was totally dependent on our Yugi – not the other way round as we first thought. I don't even think about the other Yugi any more." She paused to think. "It's funny, because I never saw Atem and the other Yugi as the same person, but I saw the other Yugi as Yugi."

"Yeah, and now that's getting too confusing. What are you going to do to fix things with Yugi?"

"Do things need fixing? He's made no effort to come and see me, there's always some reason why he can't come! And I have seen pictures of him photographed with other women, far more glamorous than me."

"The reason Yugi won't come is Peter. He thinks he would be in the way. What do you think Peter would do if Yugi did come?!"

"There would be trouble," Anzu admitted sadly.

"But it's not too late Anzu. Yugi has tried to forget you by dating other women, but I know he still loves you. You need to sort out your problems here and make things right with Yugi, before it really is too late. He won't wait forever." Mai winked. "He is quite popular with the ladies. And I wouldn't say no either."

"Mai! What about Jonouchi?! Don't you and he have something going? I thought you two wanted each other as badly as Yugi and I want each other!"

"We did hook up for a bit of fun. Neither of us are keepers, so a casual romp in the sack every now and again is worth going back to Domino for."

"Mai!" Anzu started laughing. "You're terrible."

"See, you are cheering up already. How about we forget about men for now and have a girls evening out? Maybe after a few glasses of wine, we can come up with a solution to your problem."

"I have a strict diet and workout regime so I can't drink a lot, but that sounds like a great idea."

After they had both showered and changed, they prepared to leave. Anzu had not seen Peter all day and was trying to avoid him. Unfortunately, just as they stepped out of her shared suite, he was coming along the corridor.

He glared at Anzu and then at Mai. Anzu thought he would stop her but with Mai there he was holding himself in check. "Where are you going? I was thinking we could spend the evening together. Who's this?"

"This is my friend Mai. She arrived from Japan this afternoon. We're just going out for something to eat." His face twitched and he did not look pleased.

"You must be Peter." Mai smiled and stepped forward, offering a bold handshake. He ignored her hand. "Suit yourself," Mai shrugged off his rudeness. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing your girlfriend for the night."

Anzu could see that Peter was not happy about her going out without him and was worried that he might make her suffer for it later. "It's a long time since we have seen each other, I promise we won't be late," Anzu added sheepishly.

Peter shouldered Mai out of the way. "Of course I don't mind." It sounded forced. He leaned in and kissed Anzu on the cheek. "If you're not back by ten, I will beat the shit out of you, got that?" He hissed.

"I don't like him!" Mai announced, once they had left. "What did he whisper to you?"

"He's not always like that, he is just having some issues. He just said to have a nice evening and don't be late, you've got a class first thing."

"Yeah, right," Mai shook her head in disbelief.

They opted for a French restaurant. Mai had expensive tastes and Anzu could not really afford it but did not say anything – she would just have to blow her budget and worry about it later!

* * *

 **If you did not hate Peter already, I'm sure you do now!**

 **Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

Here it is! The big showdown.

Warning: Swearing. There is also quite a lot of violence, including violence towards women.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter 10.

Much to Anzu's relief, Peter was not around when she and Mai returned to Anzu's suite. She had half expected him to be stationed outside her room; counting down the moments past ten. But thankfully, he was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, when they _did_ see him the following day, he was all sweetness and like! Anzu was worried when Mai said that it was just a mask.

The next couple of days went by quickly and Anzu was sad to see Mai go – she had become a valuable friend. Mai's last words to Anzu before she hopped on the bus were: "Don't let Peter anywhere near you. Whatever you do, don't let yourself be alone with him. You have to sort things out right away, and then tell Yugi how you feel about him."

With Mai's words of advice ringing in her head, Anzu returned to her room. Mai was right, she needed to keep as much space between herself and Peter as possible. She would ditch her coat in her room and go and speak to the counsellor, right away..

Finding the door to her room unlocked, Anzu felt a nervous lump form in her chest. She could have sworn she had locked it before going to the bus station.

Pushing the door open, she found Peter waiting for her. He had let himself in with the key he had insisted she give him. He had given Anzu a key to his room, so she had felt she could not say no. And now she was regretting it.

He was in an ugly mood.

::::::::::::

Sally came back to the suite to find the door to Anzu's room wide open. She called out to her friend but there was no answer. She peered into the room and saw Anzu curled up on her bed, crying. "What's the matter, Anzu?!"

"Nothing! I just had an argument with Peter."

"Did he hit you?!"

"No! Of course not," she lied.

"Then let me see?"

Reluctantly, Anzu turned over. Her lip was swollen and her arms were covered in bruises where he had tried to hold her down as they fought. Ugly finger marks littered her neck where he had grabbed her throat and there was a nasty scratch on her collar bone where his nail had caught her when he ripped her blouse open. "I said no! I tried to tell him it was over, but he..." Anzu could not finish her sentence and started crying again.

"The bastard! You have to report him Anzu?" Sally was horrified and rushed to Anzu to comfort her.

"No, I can't. It's my fault. I upset him. I think he's still on drugs too. He's ruining everything and I don't know what to do."

Sally assumed the worst. "Anzu! He raped you! You have to see the counsellor and tell her. I will come with you."

"No, he didn't." Anzu shook her head. "I managed to fight him off. I have no idea where he's gone. Right now, all I want is to go home. I want my Mum and Dad. I wish Yugi was here..."

"How about I run you a nice bath? It will help those bruises. Maybe when you calm down, we can decide what to do."

Anzu nodded. "Thank you. I will deal with it, I promise. I'm just not sure how yet. I don't want it to get around the whole school that he beat me up."

As soon as Anzu was settled in the bath, Sally picked up her phone.. It was probably not a good idea to ring Anzu's parents but Sally felt that she had to tell someone whom she knew Anzu trusted. She found Yugi's number on the list of emergency contact numbers the girls had written in a note book, and dialled. Not only did she need to tell someone, she also wanted his approval that going against Anzu's plea not to tell anyone was the right thing to do.

::::::::::::

Yugi was up a step ladder changing a bulb in the store room when he heard his phone ringing from where he had left it underneath the shop counter. "Kutabare!" He growled and carried on with what he was doing. It was only when he had finished changing the light bulb, that he decided to see who had called.

He was not surprised to see that it was an unknown number – he was forever being called by fans who had somehow obtained his number, but Yugi was slightly confused when he saw the area and country code was New York. Who, apart from Anzu or Mai would be ringing him?!

Shrugging, he hit dial...

Yugi's hands were shaking when he came off the phone to Sally. How could he have let it go this far? He had sensed that Anzu's relationship with Peter was not a happy one, yet he had done nothing to help because he did not want to appear like a jealous, interfering ex-boyfriend. He felt he had let her down.

Well, not any more. No longer did he care about interfering, or challenging Peter. In his mind, there was only one course of action left, and that was to go to New York and put an end to Peter's control and abuse of Anzu.

Sally had told him that Anzu was resting and suggested he call her in the morning. Reluctantly, Yugi had agreed. He really wanted to speak to Anzu now but understood that it was best to let her rest.

Feeling traumatised, he closed the shop and wandered upstairs to the kitchen.

His mother had gone out, but he found his grandfather, sitting at the dining table, with the morning newspaper spread out in frnt of him. He was doing the cryptic crossword.

Sugoroku started muttering that the crossword was not cryptic enough for a Mutou but stopped complaining when he looked up and saw Yugi's anguished expression. "Is everything okay Yugi? Has something happened?" Yugi did not answer. "Maybe I should make some tea and you can tell me what is bothering you."

"It's Anzu, I'm worried about her."

"Oh! Nothing serious, I hope?"

"Can I ask a favour Grandpa?"

Suguroku knew exactly what his grandson was about to ask. "To be honest, I'm finding retirement a little boring, I was going to ask if you would mind me taking over running the shop again? If you are worried about Anzu, you really should go and visit her."

"Are you sure working full time again won't be too much for you?"

"I will be fine Yugi. I am sure your friends will help me with any lifting. And if I have to close the shop when I'm tired, it won't hurt - we have plenty of money coming in from internet sales."

"Thanks Grandpa." Yugi immediately set about booking a flight to New York. He had no idea what he would do when he got there, but he had to do something, anything, to rescue Anzu from that bastard.

For the rest of the day, he was like a lion pacing in a cage. He waited until ten at night and then rang Anzu's number, in he hope that she would be awake by now.

By New York time, it was eight in the morning and after a restless night, Anzu was still dozing. Her phone was switched off.

Yugi's call went straight to voicemail.

He didn't bother to leave a message. There was no way he could get to sleep with things hanging in the air like this so he decided to try every ten minutes or so, until she answered.

When she finally did, he was taken by surprise and completely forgot what he was planning to say. He should have written it down.

He wanted to slap himself when he casually opened with: "Hey, Anzu, how are you?" To which she replied that she was fine.

He knew she was not fine but didn't dare say that he knew Peter had attacked her, for fear of getting Sally into trouble for ringing him. Instead, he told her that he had finally booked a ticket and would be flying to new York the next day.

Anzu's reaction to him coming to see her was one of horror. "No! You can't! I'm really busy with rehearsals, so we won't have much time together. And, are you sure you can afford to take time off? Doesn't Grandpa need you to run the shop?"

Yugi was not about to let her negativity towards him visiting, put him off. "Grandpa is getting bored with retirement. He's coming back to work at the shop full time so I'm free to come and see you. If it's me meeting Peter you're worried about, I can stay somewhere else."

Anzu sighed. "It's okay, I will arrange for you to stay here. If Peter questions it we can pretend you're Sally's friend or something."

"What if he recognise me?"

"You will have to stay hidden! I don't want you getting into a fight with him."

"I can always wear a false beard and glasses."

"I'm not joking Yugi! He has a violent temper. Do you really want to know why I don't want you to come? It's because I'm frightened he will hurt you."

"Anzu..." Yugi hesitated a moment. "Has he hurt you?"

"No! Of course he hasn't. I just know how jealous he gets." She did not sound very convincing.

It saddened Yugi that she would not open up too him. They had always confided in one another. Why did she no longer feel she could talk to him? Did she still think he was a weakling? He was pretty sure he had stood up to worse bullies than Perfect Peter and survived victorious! Alright, maybe a bit beaten up, but he had always triumphed in the end.

"Don't worry about me Anzu. I am coming to see you and I won't let Peter get in the way!" She need not worry, he was stronger and taller now. Jonouchi had given him a few tips on how to fight.

He had no intention of being Peter's punch bag.

::::::::::::

Thanks to his overactive mind, Yugi did not sleep very well that night and was feeling tired the next morning. The flight was long and he ended up sleeping for much of it.

He was woken with a bit of a start when the steward tapped his shoulder and asked him to put his seat back into the upright position, for landing. His mouth felt dry, woolly and stale, his face felt puffy and his eyes were sticky and sore. His neck also ached from his head being flopped over to one side, and when he rubbed his hand over his face he had dribble sticking to the corners of his mouth and on his chin. It had mingled with fine stubble starting to grow on his chin and dried there.

Feeling revolting, he frowned and took the hot cloth the steward was offering all the passengers and hurriedly wiped the drool from his face.

As soon as the plane had landed and he was safely inside the terminal, he rushed to the gents. Bladder relieved, he peered into the mirror while washing his hands. He looked as rough as he felt. Purchasing one of those disposable toothbrush kits from a vending machine, he cleaned his teeth. At least having a fresh mouth made him feel a little better.

Once he had retrieved his luggage, he made his way out of the building. He was totally overawed and had no idea where he was going or how he was going to get there. Was this how Anzu felt when she first arrived?

Feeling dehydrated, he pulled a couple of dollars from his wallet and purchased a bottle of water from a nearby kiosk. Once he had gulped down the water, he found he could think a little clearer.

 _Juilliard! He needed to get to the ballet school._

Being a rather polite, Japanese tourist, he stood in what he thought was the queue for a taxi. After being barged out of the way a couple of times, he managed to get into a cab.

"Juilliard school please." He was glad he could speak a little English. The driver made a joke about his accent being funny, in an accent that to Yugi, sounded even funnier.

The cab driver pulled up outside the main entrance and told him the cost of the fair. He counted out the notes and then got out and retrieved his bag from the boot.

Now what?!

He pulled out his phone and texted Anzu. _**I'm here. x**_

She did not reply because she was in the dance studio having a lesson. As per the rules, her phone was on silent, inside her bag in the locker room.

Yugi went up to the main reception desk. "Excuse me," he asked the receptionist politely. "I'm looking for Miss Anzu Mazaki."

"You a friend of hers? I can't see any guests listed for her!" She said, while typing something into the computer.

He nodded. "Yes, I'm Yugi Mutou, her boy.. best friend. But come to think of it she might have me as Sally's guest... I don't know her last name I'm afraid."

"That would be Miss Baxter." The receptionist gave him an odd look and checked Sally's guests. "Yeah, found you..." she mumbled. "Guests need to be signed in. You need to fill out and sign this form." He did as asked and was given a visitors pass.

"Does your friend know your here?"

"I've texted her but not had a reply."

The receptionist looked up at the clock. It was almost four in the afternoon. She tapped something into the computer and nodded knowingly. "Both Miss Mazaki and Miss Baxter are in classes right now. You can wait in the coffee lounge. Would you like me to inform both girls you're here?"

"Just Anzu please."

"Okay, I will get a message to her that you are here. Her lesson finishes in about twenty minutes."

Yugi thanked her and followed the sign to the coffee lounge. He bought himself a pot of tea and a chocolate chip cookie and sat down to wait.

Anzu appeared about half an hour later. "Yugi!" She was wearing a pair of pale pink tights, ankle warmers and canvas shoes. She also wore a black hooded top with the name of the school embroidered on it. Her hair was tied up in a bun, but Yugi was pretty sure it was much longer than he remembered. He was surprised at how much make up she was wearing.

When he stood up to hug her, he saw why: it was to hide the bruising on her face. It did not hide the swelling though. Yugi felt the anger rising in his gut. He would ensure Peter answered for what he had done to her.

They held one another for several minutes, neither wanting to be the first to break the embrace. It was Yugi who eventually stepped back slightly, still resting his hands gently on her waist. "I've missed you so much," he admitted.

Anzu found herself looking up at him. "My god Yugi! You've changed so much!" She gripped his much broader, firmer shoulders. His limbs were longer and he looked quite skinny, but she was pleasantly surprised at how much muscle she felt underneath his shirt and pullover. "You've grown taller!" She grinned.

"Yeah, I guess I have. You've changed a bit too. You look slimmer, more toned. More..." _Beautiful._ Smiling cheekily, he blushed and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and moved it to scratch at his chin.

Anzu suddenly felt self conscious. She chuckled bashfully. "Yeah, we work quite hard and the diet is quite strict. You have stubble on your face," she said, realising as soon as she spoke that she was stating the obvious.

"Yeah, it was a long flight and I forgot to shave before I left home. I'm pretty exhausted."

"It took me a while to get over the jet lag too. My sleep patterns were all over thee place at first, but you will soon adjust," Anzu informed him. "I have arranged for you to stay here as Sally's guest. Have you signed in? You need to register."

"Yes, I have done that." He pulled the visitors pass from his pocket and showed it to her.

"It might be a bit awkward." She bit her lip hesitantly. "Peter has no idea you are here and I don't want him to find out who you really are. That's why we are pretending you are Sally's guest."

He looked a bit sceptical. "But won't he find out when he hears my name or sees me? I mean, my hair is a dead giveaway as to who I am!"

"Maybe," she sighed. "Just keep a low profile until we figure it out."

Yugi frowned. "We will have to face him eventually Anzu." He picked up his back pack and slung it over his shoulder and then grabbed his suitcase.

Anzu seemed on edge as they reached her corridor. As soon as they arrived at her suite, she ushered him in and closed the door. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please. I could use a shower, a shave and a change of clothes... if that's okay?"

"Yes, of course it's okay. I could do with a shower myself, I came to meet you straight from class. I didn't even change out of my dance kit!" There was a slightly awkward pause as both of them had the same thought about showering together. The way they blushed when they made eye contact gave away what the other was thinking. They both looked away awkwardly.

"There are two bathrooms," Anzu blurted. "One is a shower room the other has a bath. Sally and Katie should be back from their classes soon so no flashing," she teased. "And no leaving beard whiskers in the sink!"

"I won't. I've got an electric razor anyway."

Yugi watched as Anzu proceeded to make the tea. "Anzu! What is going on with Peter? Why are you so nervous about me being here?"

Anzu looked at the floor. "I do want you here! The truth is, I'm worried how Peter will react." She gave an exhausted, nervous laugh.

Yugi's eyebrows knotted together and he reached forward and cupped her face. "I won't let him hurt you Anzu." He reached out and tilted her face so that their eyes met. "I can see your face is bruised under that make up. I'm not stupid, I know he has hit you. You are terrified of him. That's not right, he shouldn't make you feel like that!"

"I'm edgy and nervous because you are here Yugi. Peter will go crazy and I don't want you to get hurt. He's violent Yugi." He would see the bruises eventually so she unzipped her sweat top and pulled it off. "This is what he did after Mai left. Apparently, I didn't ask him if she could visit me. He thought she was poisoning my mind against him." She rolled up the silky sleeve of her long sleeved leotard. "I had to wear this so Miss Gemma didn't see!"

Yugi gasped when he saw the purple bruises where he had squeezed her arms.

"And this!" She removed the pink silk choker to reveal the marks on her neck which were also covered in make up to try and hide them.

Yugi was almost shaking with rage. "How could he do this?! Why didn't you tell someone?! He has to be stopped." Emotion, anger and hatred bubbled under his skin. When he used to wear the Puzzle, such strong emotions would have willed the other Yugi to surface. But now he had to deal with it alone. His breathing became rapid and he wanted to cry for what Peter had done to his beloved Anzu. He was angry at himself for not acting on his suspicions about Peter, months ago. He should have dropped everything and come to save her sooner.

His outburst caused Anzu's eyes to well up with tears. "I didn't want to trouble you with my problems. I'm stupid, I don't know how I let it myself get into this mess. I'm going to tell the counsellor but I don't want the whole school to know about it. Sally thinks I'm crazy, but truth is I'm frightened and confused." Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Hey! It's okay!" He reached out and took her in his arms, cradling her gently. "I'm here now. We will stop him together." They hugged tightly and he could feel her tears, hot and wet against his neck.

"I'm so sorry Yugi. I shouldn't be dragging you into this. I'm stupid! I feel like quitting and going home."

"He should quit, not you. I won't let him ruin your dream Anzu. He's a monster! If only I had told you how I felt about you, then this would never have happened. It's all my fault," he confessed bitterly.

"Yugi?!" Anzu pulled away slightly and looked at him.

"It's true Anzu. I should never have let you leave without telling you.. I love you. I have always loved you, but I didn't know if you would feel the same so I didn't tell you."

Anzu reached up and touched his face with her fingertips. He turned his face slightly so that they brushed his lips and he kissed them tenderly.

She smiled softly at him through her veil of tears. "I love you too Yugi. I wanted to tell you but four years is a long time to be away and didn't think it would be fair to make you wait for me. I'm such an idiot!"

"Then I'm an idiot too," he let out a rye laugh and moved his hand to her face, gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.

They were so close to kissing now but Anzu could feel her nose about to drip. "Excuse me!" She pulled away quickly and grabbed a couple of tissues from her bag and blew her nose. They both started laughing.

"It's not exactly romantic, is it?" She sniffed.

"I think the way you blow your nose is cute!" He smiled, making her laugh.

Having wiped her nose and dried away her tears, she turned back to him. "What were we about to do?"

"I think I was about to kiss you." Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close.

"We were?!" She teased, looping her hands over his shoulders. Unsure, he hesitated a moment.

"Well, kiss me then?!" She said, rolling her eyes and sounding a little impatient.

He did not need telling again. He closed the small distance between them and gently caught her lips with his, moving gently and slowly.

He pulled away for a moment and gazed into her eyes. "I wish I had done this ages ago," he breathed softly, this time capturing her lips with more passion than before.

Enjoying the sensation of his kiss, Anzu moaned and moved one hand up to slide it through his hair, massaging his scalp and causing him to purr softly in response.

The door opened and Sally and Katie came bursting in. Yugi and Anzu jumped apart, looking like two kids caught stealing from the biscuit tin.

Anzu coughed. "Hi!" She squeaked. "Sally, Katie. This is Yugi."

Both girls smirked. "Just friends eh!" Sally raised a knowing eyebrow at them.

Anzu still had no idea that Sally had called Yugi and told him what had happened.

Yugi grinned sheepishly and raised his hand to wave. "Hi!"

"Hi, Yugi," both girls replied.

"It's nice to meet you," Sally added, "but you two had better be a bit more careful. What if we had been Peter?"

"I made him give his key back," Anzu retorted.

"Yeah, well I think you two had better hide because we saw him and he wasn't happy. He came to meet you from class and you weren't there," Katie informed them.

"Shit! I was supposed to meet him in the common room at four thirty! He will go ape shit that I didn't turn up! Think of an excuse.. Erm..."

They heard a knock at the door. "Don't answer it!" Anzu whispered.

"He knows were here. He saw us coming up the stairs!" Katie whispered.

"Hide in your room, we will tell him you are not back yet," Sally decided.

"Quick! Yugi!" Anzu grabbed his sleeve and ushered him towards her bedroom.

"My bags!" He quickly grabbed his bags and went into her room with her. She locked the door, just to be safe.

They heard Sally open the door. "Oh! Hi Peter. You looking for Anzu?"

"No! I'm looking for... Of course I am you moron. Where is she?" He tried to barge into the room but the girls stood in his way. He craned his neck to look over them.

"She's not here. We don't know where she is." He pushed them aside and marched into the communal area.

"I know she's here. That's her top." He pointed at the black hoodie she had thrown onto the table.

"She changed and went back out again. She was wearing something else."

He balled his fists. "You're fucking lying. Tell me where she is or I will..." he seethed.

"Or you will what?!" Sally confronted him. "Beat the fucking shit out of us like you did to Anzu? Well go on then, hit me?! That'll get you expelled for sure, because unlike Anzu, we won't keep quite."

Peter was swelling up like a puffer fish that was about to explode. His face twisted angrily as he fought to control his rage.

Then, he spotted Yugi's shoes, on the floor by the door. They were black men's Nike, with silver trim, size seven (UK sizing). They definitely did not belong to any of the girls!

"Who's are those?" He snarled, pointing at the shoes.

"Oh!" The two girls looked at each other. "They're Jack's! He was wondering where he left them!"

"You're lying, you are both pathetic! Anzu? I know you're in there. Who's with you? Open the fucking door?!"

Inside her bedroom, Anzu started to shake. Yugi was sure she was about to speak so he placed his fingers on her lips and shook his head. They sat on the bed and he took her hand. "It will be alright, I will look after you," he mouthed. Anzu nodded and gripped his hand, fearful for their lives. She had seen Peter in a rage and she recalled the outcome of previous fights involving Yugi. If Yugi tried to confront him, she feared Peter would kill him.

"We told you, she's not here!" Sally stood in front of Peter.

"Get out of my way!" He shoved her hard and she fell against the chair, painfully banging her head and elbow. Katie helped her up. Her head was bleeding from a small cut.

He thumped the door. "I will kick the door down if you don't fucking open it!"

Anzu and Yugi both jumped at the sound of the door being thumped. Anzu clung to Yugi.

But still, they remained quiet.

Blinded by rage and fuelled by steroids, Peter started kicking at the door as hard as he could. The door was not going to hold for long, and soon, they heard it crack.

Katie handed Sally a towel to stem the bleeding and helped her to sit, before running out into the hall screaming. "Please! Someone help?! Peter's gone mad! He's smashing the door down. He's gonna kill someone."

Two girls from the room opposite came running. "I will call security!" One shouted, grabbing her phone.

Another person ran to the next floor to find Peter's room mates, Ryan and Lucas.

"What's happened?!" Ryan gasped in alarm.

"Peter is trying to break Anzu's door down! He's completely lost it!"

"Shit!" Ryan and Lucas pulled on their shoes and ran towards the girls suite to try and help.

Meanwhile, the hinges on the lock on the door had given way with a loud crack. Peter threw it open and charged into the room. Yugi jumped up and stood protectively in front of Anzu with his fists balled.

"You!" Peter yelled. "How dare you screw my girlfriend. I'm gonna kill you both!"

"I won't let you touch her!" Yugi snarled as confidently as he could. Inside his heart was thumping and he was terrified.

Peter lunged at him in a blind rage, swinging his fists without any sort of control. Anzu screamed as the two men collided.

As Peter came at him, Yugi ducked out of the way of the flailing, clumsy punches. With Jonouchi's help, he was now good at defending himself. He was also a lot stronger than he once was and used his shoulder to absorb some of the impact of Peter crashing into him.

Through the momentum, the pair of them smashed into the dresser, knocking everything on top of it flying. They both landed on the floor amidst the hair brushes, make up and various beauty products. But neither seemed to notice as they grappled for supremacy.

Fuelled by drugs and rage, Peter was bigger and stronger than Yugi. He grabbed Yugi's shirt as they grappled, arms and legs clashing as they rolled on the floor. Peter was trying to wrestle him onto his back so that he could pin him down and pummel him, but Yugi was not going to give up without a fight and wriggled and lashed out with all his might. He was determined to stop Peter from hurting Anzu.

Being bigger, Peter managed to gain the initiative, pinning Yugi on his back, but in his effort to punch him he had to loosen his grip and Yugi managed to squirm enough that the fist only grazed the side of his head, but it still hurt. Peter's fist hit the floor, fracturing his hand but he did not even notice the pain.

Yugi grabbed Peter's throat in an attempt to push him off. Being slim was suddenly an advantage and he managed to lever his knees up, under Peter's torso. Pushing with all his might, he kicked him off. Peter fell backwards against the wardrobe.

Yugi scrabbled quickly to his feet.

Spitting venom and blood, Peter turned on Anzu. "You unfaithful bitch!"

"Leave her alone!" Yugi shouted, rushing to protect Anzu.

Peter was about to hurl himself at them both when Ryan and Lucas ran in. "Pete?!" Ryan yelled. "Stop it man!"

Lucas grabbed his arm. Peter spun on him and punched him.

Meanwhile Ryan grabbed Peter and tried to wrestle him into submission. Lucas gathered himself and tried to help, but Peter was thrashing around like a mad man and they were struggling to contain him.

Yugi and Anzu held each other tightly, watching the scene of horror.

One of the male teachers came running in with a security officer who assisted in pacifying Peter. It took four people to pin him face down and hold him there until he gave up struggling.

His last words to Yugi and Anzu as he was hauled to his feet and dragged away, were. "I will fucking kill you both!"

He had bitten his tongue in the scrum and spat the blood at Sally and Katie as he passed them. "Don't think I will let you two off either."

"Come on buddy! That's enough, calm it down," Ryan ordered his deranged friend.

Yugi and Anzu were left shaken.

"Are you alright Yugi?" Anzu shakily looked at his torn shirt and battered form.

"I'm okay. A bit bruised." He checked himself over. His shirt was ripped and the side of his face stung. His right hand hurt and he felt a bit breathless from where Peter had knelt on his chest, stomach and groin when he held him down. He coughed and rubbed his lower abdomen. "But I think I will still be able to have kids!" He joked.

"It's not funny Yugi! He nearly killed you! Your nose is bleeding and you have an egg sized bump coming up on your cheek. We should go to the medical centre and get you checked over."

"I'm okay," he argued.

"Are you two both okay?!" The vice principal appeared. She looked at Yugi. "You need to go to the medical centre. An incident report needs to be done."

"Come on, Yugi?!" Anzu looked at him pleadingly. "

"Yeah, I guess it won't do any harm," he conceded.

"What will happen to Peter?" Anzu asked.

"I am afraid Peter is in serious trouble. His parents are being informed of his behaviour. He will be suspended while there is an inquiry, but he is likely to be expelled. He has already had two warnings."

"Oh," Anzu said simply. She did not know how she felt about him being expelled. She was relieved that it was all over and that hopefully, she was rid of Peter for good. But a small part of her felt sad for him too. She had come to the conclusion that he probably suffered from a personality disorder and his drug addiction had amplified it. She felt sorry that she had not been able to help him.

Yugi took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. She smiled at him with a look that was filled with mixed emotions. "Thank you for protecting me Yugi." In that moment, she realised that she would never love anyone in quite the way she loved Yugi.

"I just wish I'd come sooner," he muttered, as they walked, hand in hand to the medical centre.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Yugi and Anzu finally get it together.**

 **Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story. We're almost at the end now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated

Chapter 11

Violence on this level was unprecedented at the school. Of course, there had been one or two arguments and the odd scuffle, but nothing like this!

Rumours were quickly spreading among the students who were resident at the school, and those who had not witnessed the fight first-hand came rushing from their rooms to see what had happened. They immediately started gossiping that Anzu was two timing Peter. One of the first year students – who did not even know Anzu - recognised Yugi and started calling out that Anzu was having an affair with the King of Games and that Peter had walked in on them!

"Moron! What do they know?" Anzu seethed as she and Yugi, along with Sally, Katie, Ryan and Lucas, squeezed through the crowd, on their way to the medical centre.

"Go back to your rooms everyone!" The teacher shouted at them all. They all ignored him and carried on calling out to Yugi and Anzu.

"Go back to your rooms or you will all be put on report!" The teacher barked angrily.

Mumbling, they dispersed.

"God! They're like vultures!" Sally complained, holding the blood soaked hand towel to her head.

"They're more interested in what the King of Games is doing here, rather than anyone being hurt!" Ryan snorted, helping Lucas, whose nose was bleeding – possibly broken - from where Peter had punched him.

Lucas mumbled in annoyance, but was not easy to understand with a handful of tissue paper held to his face.

"I'm sorry Anzu. You told me not to come but I did. Now look what I've caused," Yugi sighed guiltily.

"Don't apologise Yugi! If you hadn't come, Anzu would have been stuck with that violent idiot!" Ryan retorted. "Peter's been like time bomb for ages. If it hadn't been you, it would have been someone else. He may even have put Anzu in the hospital."

They arrived at the medical centre without further harassment from the other students. They were ushered into the small treatment bays and asked to wait for the nurse.

Anzu was allowed to stay with Yugi while he was checked over. He felt a little bit sore and bruised, but was not badly injured. He made the most of Anzu fussing over him though.

The nurse told them she would be back in a moment and left. They seemed to be waiting for an age, before finally, the vice principal came into the room to inform Anzu that she was to be suspended until a proper investigation had been carried out. Yugi became angry.

"But that's not fair!" He argued."Peter attacked _us._ He's been hurting Anzu for..."

"It's okay Yugi." Anzu interrupted him and placed her hand on his arm. "Please don't say anything now. I'm sure everything will be resolved once they find out what really happened."

The vice principal smiled sadly. "I am sorry Miss Mazaki, but I am only following procedure. I am sure you are an innocent victim in all of this. Your friends have just told me how Peter has been behaving and I urge that you show the nurse the injuries you have been hiding. The police may ask if you wish to press charges."

"The police?! No! I didn't want anything like this to happen."

"It was Principal Gray's decision to call the police. He is dealing with Peter this evening. He would like to speak with you in the morning."

"Where is Peter?" Anzu enquired.

"I am not at liberty to discuss Mister Andrews at the moment. Principal Gray will talk to you. If you could report to the office at nine thirty in the morning."

"What about me?" asked Yugi. "Am I to report too?"

"Since you were involved, I would suggest that you do."

"Okay," he nodded meekly. "I am very sorry about what happened."

The vice principal gave him a pointed look and simply said. "Goodnight Miss Mazaki, Mister..."

Mutou." She left them.

"I don't think she likes me all that much," Yugi complained, after she had gone.

"She's not usually like that, Yugi. She's probably tired, it's been a long day."

The nurse came back in and asked them to fill out an accident report. They were then allowed to go.

Yugi stretched awkwardly while he waited for Anzu to unlock the door to the suite.

Anzu noticed him wince. "Are you okay Yugi?"

"My back hurts a bit where I landed against the dresser, that's all."

"I will run you a bath. I've got some nice bath crystals that help soothe aches and pains."

"Thanks, that would be nice," he smiled.

Sally was sitting on the couch with a mug of coffee when they entered the suite.

"How did the inquisition go?" She asked. "You've been gone ages."

Anzu just shrugged. "I'm suspended. So about as bad as it could go! How is your head? I'm sorry you had to be dragged into all this."

"Forget about my head!" Sally looked annoyed. "How can they suspend you? You're a victim of abuse! Didn't you tell them Peter was a violent bastard?"

"I didn't get much chance! Apparently, suspension is _procedure,"_ Anzu snorted derisively.

"I am sure you will be reinstated when they find out the truth, Anzu." Yugi reassured.

"Yeah..." she sighed. "I hope so."

"Do you want me to help tidy your room?" Asked Katie. "It's a bit of a mess."

Anzu peered into her room and frowned.

Yugi examined the door, where one of the hinges had been torn loose. The lock had also been broken, splintering the soft wood surrounding it. "I think this is beyond my carpentry skills!"

Anzu sighed. "I hope they don't make me pay for the damage."

"Don't worry Anzu." Yugi put his arm around her. "If they do, I will pay for it."

"If anyone should pay, it should be Peter!" Katie huffed angrily.

"In the meantime, we need to find something that will make a temporary door," said Yugi.

"I can hang a curtain up for you two to have some privacy," Sally winked naughtily.

"I don't think we will be doing any of that tonight Sally," Anzu blushed. "Bath, food and sleep. Plus I think Yugi is a bit bruised and sore."

"I'm not that sore! In fact, I'm wide awake now, it's ten in the morning in Japan and I haven't even had breakfast!"

"Yugi! How can you even think of food after what has happened?"

"Fighting makes me hungry!" He grinned sheepishly. Anzu rolled her eyes.

"We could all do with something to eat. I will go to the cafe and get us some takeaway," Katie offered. "It's open until nine thirty." She handed Yugi the menu.

"No burgers?! But we're in America, they must have burgers!" He had been looking forward to his first American burger and was a touch disappointed.

Katie shook her head apologetically. "They do a steak sandwich. The food is all high nutrition and the fat and sugar content is kept low. We train hard and need to be fit and healthy. Pigging out on junk food is not encouraged. We do sneak out for the odd pizza and glass of wine occasionally though."

"I guess I should try and eat something." Anzu decided. "I will have the tomato pasta with roasted vegetables."

"I will have the same. This should cover everyone's order." Yugi handed Katie a pile of dollar bills, before disappearing into the bathroom.

While Yugi soaked in the bath, Anzu used the separate shower room.

Feeling a lot better, Yugi dried off and changed into clean tee shirt and some baggy tracksuit trousers. He emerged from the bathroom still rubbing his hair dry with the towel, to find the girls waiting for him.

"Katie brought our food back. I will keep it warm until you're ready," Anzu told him.

"I'm ready now," he said, chucking his wet towel onto the sofa. Anzu tutted and picked it up. "sorry!" He cringed. "I will hang it up." He took it from her and scurried back to the bathroom to put his towel on the rail.

Anzu's friends both chuckled. "Anzu! He does as he's told. Marry him!" Sally teased.

Anzu went bright red and spluttered on the water she was sipping.

"What?" Yugi asked innocently, returning from the bathroom.

::::::::::::

With Anzu's room cleaned up and a blanket stapled around the door-frame to her room, everyone retired for the night. After they had brushed their teeth and changed into their pyjamas, Anzu made up the fold out bed for Yugi.

"Do I get a goodnight cuddle first?" He asked, bashfully.

"Oh! Yes, of course," she blushed, and awkwardly sat down on the edge of her bed, gesturing for him to join her.

He sat down next to her and took one of her hands in both of his, gently caressing it with his fingertips. "I thought I had it all rehearsed, but I don't really know what to say," he admitted.

"Then don't say anything, just hold me."

He nodded and they embraced. "Just like us to not say anything, isn't it?" He mumbled softly, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of her soft, silky hair.

"Mmm, it is." Anzu rested her head in the crook of his neck and let her arms slide around his lean but firm waist. They stayed like that for a moment before Anzu moved so slide one hand up his body to rest it over his heart. She smiled when his heart sped up in response to her touch. "You have the kindest heart Yugi."

"Can I lay in the bed with you Anzu? I won't do anything, I just want to fall asleep with you in my arms."

"Yes," she said, in a small, trembling voice. He felt her nod her head slightly.

They slipped into bed together.

"It's quite a big bed!" He observed.

"Yes, spacious, but still cosy."

Yugi turned onto his side to face her. "Will you be my official girlfriend Anzu? I know we live thousands of miles apart and I don't know where you will go after you finish here, but we can make it work, I know we can."

"Are you sure? I feel bad making you wait for me. What if my career takes me to the other side of the world. Can you put up with that?"

"We will worry about it when, or, if it happens. Being the King of Games has it's advantages and I have been making good money. I get offers to appear in tournaments in America, maybe I could move here next year. We could rent a place and I can look after you."

"That's so kind of you Yugi, but what about your grandfather and the shop?"

"The shop is doing well. I can hire someone to help Grandpa. I stuffed up once and nearly lost you, I'm not going to let you go a second time. I love you Anzu."

"I love you too Yugi. My biggest regret is that I didn't tell you sooner. But if we are to be a couple, we will support each other. I don't want to rely on your money to help me live my dreams of being a dancer. You know me, I like to be independent. I have to prove to myself that I can do this."

"Yeah, I know how independent you are. But it was always one of my goals to be able to look after you. I don't want you to put yourself at risk and end up meeting another guy like Peter. Show business is cut throat and I don't ever want to see you struggling and having to work as a waitress in some dive bar, because you can't find proper work."

"Thank you Yugi," she smiled, brushing away the strands of golden blonde hair that had fallen across his face. "I will keep that in mind. Night Yugi." She placed her lips against his and kissed him softly.

He let her kiss him, enjoying the way her lips lingered while she waited for him to respond. He smirked teasingly against her mouth and then started peppering her face and neck with little nips and kisses. This teasing and nipping carried on for a few moments and then he captured her mouth in a passionate kiss making Anzu moan into his mouth.

Feeling breathless she pulled away. "Where did you learn to kiss like that, Yugi Mutou?" There was a hint of amusement and teasing in her voice.

"There's a lot I've learned since you left. Want me to show you?" He chuckled, sliding his hand inside her pyjama top and stroking her sides with his fingertips, moving them teasingly towards her breasts, making her quiver with delight. When did he become so bold?!

After a few moments enjoying his touch, she pulled away. "Yugi! It's not that I don't want to, but... can we stop there for tonight, please?"

He looked disappointed. "I erm... okay. Sorry! If you want me to sleep on the camp bed, I will."

"No! It's up to you. If sleeping with me without making... hmm.. love is difficult for you then..." She felt her face heating up slightly.

"We've gone this long without having sex, I'm sure we can go one more night." He bit his lip. "You like me enough though, don't you?!"

"Of course I do Yugi, I love you with all my heart... it's just that today has been so stressful and I feel like too much is happening all at once. And I'm sure your body is a bit sore from the fight."

"I am a bit sore. I can show you the bruise on my back if you like? It's really come out now." He sat up and lifted his pyjama top to reveal an ugly bruise where his back had collided with the dresser."

Anzu gasped. "Yugi! It looks horrible!"

"It's not as bad as it looks," he chuckled.

"We should try to get some sleep. We have to be at the principals office for nine thirty. He does not appreciate people being late."

"Okay, night Anzu." He kissed her lips briefly and they snuggled down to sleep in each other's arms.

::::::::::::

It was eight thirty in the morning when Anzu awoke. During the night, they had shifted their positions and she was now laying, on her side with her back pressed into him. Somehow, their legs had become tangled together and she could feel his arm draped over her protectively, his hand had somehow found its way inside her nightdress.

She shifted her body away from him slightly and untwisted her legs, feeling a slight pins and needles in her right foot, from where his ankle rested over it.

He mumbled her name and held her tighter, pressing his body into hers. She could feel his manhood twitch against her bottom, making her shiver. It was making her feel both comforted and aroused at the same time. She did not wish to end this feeling by leaving their warm, cosy nest.

-But when she glanced at the clock and saw the time... _The meeting!_ She sat up suddenly. "Yugi?! Wake up!"

He made a funny little groaning sound but didn't seem to be waking up.

She smiled at her sleeping beau. Despite the bruising on his cheek, his face looked serene and contented. It was a shame to wake him. But if she didn't they would be late and the principal would be angry.

To heck with the meeting. Ten minutes for a little cuddle was not going to make them late!

She snuggled down again and lovingly traced the outline of his face. He was obviously a little more awake than she had thought because he smiled.

"No! Don't stop.. it's nice..." he murmured, blissful and sleepy.

"I'm afraid we have to get up. We have to see the principal in forty five minutes."

He opened one eye. "Plenty of time. No rush."

"You can have another five minutes. I'm getting up now." She quickly planted a kiss on his lips and

leaped out of bed, causing him to groan in disappointment.

He propped himself up on one elbow and watched as she pulled on her dressing gown and headed for the bathroom.

::::::::

Anzu was terrified they might bump into Peter when they went to the the Principals office, but luckily, Peter was nowhere to be seen.

Yugi was asked to take a seat outside while Principal Gray spoke to Anzu.

She was asked to give her side of the story: She explained that what had started out as a seemingly normal relationship with Peter, had soon turned into a terrible one where she had feared for her safety.

She was horrified when Principal Gray explained that after Peter had been taken away, he had attacked the nurse trying to tend to his fractured hand. The nurse had smelled alcohol on him which he denied. The police had been called and he had been breathalysed and his blood had been tested.

It revealed that his system was full of alcohol, cocaine and steroids.

The narcotics unit had brought in a sniffer dog to search his room. The dog had quickly located a large stash of cocaine, along with steroids and other substances.

He was now in police custody and was under investigation for dealing in illegal substances.

Anzu gasped. "How long?! He told me he had only recently started taking them. I had no idea he was selling them too!" The colour had drained from her face.

"We are not sure, but it appears to have been going on for over a year. It is now out of our hands."

Anzu could not stop the tears welling up in her eyes. Despite what he had done, she still pitied him.

"I will need to speak to the other young man involved in the fight last night. Is he with you?"

"Yugi? Yes, the secretary asked him to wait outside. Can I stay here while you talk to him."

"May I ask? What is your relationship with.." He glanced at the sheet of paper with yugi's name on. "Mister Mutou?"

"Yugi is my best friend. I have known him since we were six. Yugi is well known as the King of Games and Peter hated that I was so close to him. He used Yugi as an excuse to use violence on me. I have spent the last eight months covering up bruises," she sighed.

The principal smiled at her sympathetically. "How is your friend this morning? Not too bloodied and beaten, I hope?"

Anzu could not help blushing slightly. "He was lucky. No lasting damage."

"Perhaps you could ask him to come in now?"

"Can I stay?"

"I don't see why not."

Anzu got up to get Yugi. "Oh! And Miss Mazaki, I have spoken with Miss Gemma and it would appear that your standards have been slipping slightly in recent weeks. I trust that once this unfortunate situation has been resolved, you will settle down and concentrate. I would expect nothing less than a distinction from someone of your calibre."

"Yes Sir." Anzu bowed and left to fetch Yugi.

::::::::::::

When she and Yugi arrived back at the suite, they found Sally and Katie, drinking coffee and eating bagels.

When Anzu told them the news about Peter, they were horrified.

"All this time he was a criminal drug dealer and we had no idea!" Sally gasped.

"I should have guessed when he used to disappear and wouldn't tell me what he had been doing. He just said he was seeing a friend at the gym! How could I have been so stupid to get involved with him?!"

"You were not to know Anzu. Even Ryan and Lucas didn't know and they shared the same suite with him!" Katie was only trying to comfort her but it still did not make Anzu feel any better about the whole thing.

She was relieved to be rid of Peter but doubted that it would be the last she saw of him. "The police will want to interview me. I'm probably going to have to testify in court. I don't know if I can do that," Anzu admitted.

Yugi placed a comforting arm around her. "I will be there for you Anzu. You won't have to go through this on your own."

She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you Yugi"

::::::::::::

The three girls, along with Ryan and Lucas, were all given the rest of the day off from classes so that the police could interview them all.

Anzu found that the police interview was not as bad as she had feared. The officers who spoke to her were very sympathetic. Anzu knew nothing of the world of drug dealing that Peter had been involved in and was relieved when they said that she might not have to appear in court in person. Hopefully, her statement could be read out via video link.

Yugi told them that he did not wish to press charges against Peter. Apart from a few bruises, he had not been injured, and he did not wish for the fight to become public knowledge. If the press found out, they would probably have a field day with making up headlines about the King of Games private life, and he did not want Anzu's name dragged through the mud by gutter journalists.

After the police let them go, they headed back to the suite to relax. Then last twenty four hours were starting to take its toll on Yugi and all he wanted to do was sleep.

* * *

 **That seemed like a good place to end this chapter. It was supposed to be one longer one to finish, but I decided to split it. I will try to post the final chapter on Saturday.**

 **Please review**


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry I didn't manage to post this on Christmas Eve. I was so busy I had no time to edit it and did not want to post something that was full of typos.

Warning: This chapter contains adult content. It is not overly graphic and I think it is still within the T rating - well, I hope it is.

Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Complicated.

Chapter 12

After a good sleep, Yugi was feeling much better. He needed to be on top form because the police wanted to interview him about the fight.

He gave his statement and they informed him that he probably would not be called to testify in Peter's trial because he had not known Peter, or had any previous involvement with him, before he had attacked him. His only association with him had been through Anzu.

Of course, Anzu was questioned in detail and so were Peter's room mates and former friends. But it soon became clear, that none of them knew a great deal about Peter's secret life!

With Peter out of the way, Anzu felt she could finally relax. It had not occurred to her, just how tense she had been feeling in recent months. No wonder the principal had been worried about her ability to maintain standards! It was a mystery how she still managed to breeze through classes and assessments with top marks. Maybe it was because she had always found that dancing unburdened her of any stress she was feeling.

::::::::::::

Yugi would be staying for four more days and they wanted to make the most of their time together, to re-kindle their friendship and develop their newly confessed love.

The door to Anzu's room had been repaired the day after the fight. She and Yugi could now close the door on the world outside and enjoy some privacy together.

They had both yearned for this for so long now, and Yugi found himself trembling with anticipation as he locked the door to her room.

He had dreamed of this since he first started noticing that there was a reason why males and females were different! That day at the water park, when he had first laid eyes on her shapely figure in the pool and experienced feelings that were more than just admiration or a simple crush. He had wanted her.

And now, after nearly losing her to another man, here they were, just the two of them.

He turned to her and laughed nervously. "This feels..."

"Awkward?!" Anzu finished for him.

"Yes, a bit. But no, I was going to say, more like a dream. I have waited so long." They immediately closed the gap between them and embraced, their hearts beating rapidly at the contact.

Their mouths collided as years of desire and lust took over. It was only when they became breathless that they pulled apart.

"Wow! I think my heart is going to explode," Anzu let out a long breath.

He leaned in until his forehead was pressed against hers. "Mine too." They stood, quietly holding each other, enjoying the moment.

Slowly, deliberately, she reached up and started trying to undo the buttons on his shirt. He chuckled at her fumbling with them and ended up helping her.

With the buttons undone, she slipped her hands inside the shirt and ran them over his shoulders, pushing his shirt off. When the cuffs got stuck on his hands, Anzu giggled as he struggled to wriggle his hands free. Once free, he discarded the shirt on the floor and promptly shivered at his torso being exposed to the air.

Anzu took a moment to admire him properly, before massaging his chest with her hands.

Aware of her looking at him, he took in a deep breath to expand his chest, also flexing his arm muscles to make them appear stronger.

"Since when did you become so vain?" She was more used to seeing Atem adopt this sort of posture than Yugi.

"I'm weedy. I don't want you to be disappointed when you look at me."

"I don't think you're weedy. I think you look nice." Smiling, she smoothed her hands down his arms until her they reached his hands. She took hold of them, entwining her fingers with his.

Bringing her hands to his face, he kissed them, before leading her over to the bed. He sat down and pulled her into his lap.

As she sat on him, she wrapped her flexible, athletic ballerina's legs around his waist. Through his jeans, she could feel him growing harder as she instinctively pressed herself against him. She knew she was driving him wild and it really turned her on.

He let out a little purring sound and pulled the neckline of her top down so that he could kiss her chest.

He seemed slightly frustrated that the offending neckline did not move out of the way enough for him to gain access to her breasts, so Anzu sat back slightly and in one swift movement whipped off her top and threw it to join his shirt, on the floor.

Thanks to her sitting in his lap, her chest was at his eye level. He marvelled at her beauty and with his fingertips he traced the edge of her lacy bra and kissed her cleavage. She was about to undo her bra herself but stopped when he slipped his hands around her back and skilfully un-clipped her bra. Smiling in satisfaction, he caressed his prize.

"You've had some practice Yugi!" She smirked, naughtily. "It seems you have not been a good boy while I have been away."

"I have been a _very_ good boy! Would you like me to show you how good I am?!" The little smirk on his face made her heart skip a few beats. There was a new maturity about him that she had not seen before and it made her insides melt. Any fear, apprehension, or embarrassment was now gone. They were two young adults, about to demonstrate their love to one another.

She pressed her hands against his chest and he allowed himself to be pushed onto his back. He scooted up the bed so that they were fully on the mattress.

Propping himself up on his elbows, he watched as she struggled to undo his belt. "God Yugi! Your clothes are like Fort Knox!" He went to help. "No! Don't help, I can do this!" A moment later the belt was undone. "Ta-da!" She sang triumphantly.

He let out a long moan of pleasure as she undid his zip and slipped her hand inside his jeans. "I'm all yours Anzu!"

Impatient to be free from his clothing, he helped her remove his jeans and boxers and then kicked them across the room. Anzu's remaining clothing followed, joining the pile of discarded clothing on the floor.

As their bodies entwined and became one, a wonderful feeling of bliss surged through Anzu's body, making her feel safe and warm. She had always dreamed of Yugi being her hero, her protector, her saviour. The other Yugi had filled that role in the past, while Yugi's role had been as her best friend.

But now, Yugi had become both those things and the other Yugi no longer even featured in her fantasies. Yugi was everything she ever wanted.

Was _this_ how true love was supposed to feel? It was so different from the selfish kind of love she received from Peter. Never once did he care if she was enjoying herself. He had seldom wanted sex, but when he did, he would satisfy his own needs, grunt, turn his back to her and fall asleep, leaving her feeling empty and used.

If it had not been for peer pressure and a sense that it was her duty to please him, she would never have given into him and let him take what had been precious to her. She had not even enjoyed it! She had even worried that it was because there was something wrong with her! Each time, she had been left disappointed and unfulfilled.

But as she and Yugi made love, gently, passionately, she realised that it was not her at all; it was Peter. He had been a selfish bully who had mistreated her. She was not a possession with which he could do as he pleased, disregarding her own needs and feelings. She was worth more than that.

The love she was now sharing with Yugi was making her feel beautiful and fulfilled. Rather than just lie there and wait for it to be over, she welcomed him inside her, savouring every moment, as his body melded with hers.

Oh, how she wished she had saved her precious innocence for Yugi to take. He would have cherished and respected her gift far more than Peter ever had.

But it was too late for regrets. If there was anything she could take from her experience with Peter, it was that she now knew the difference between indifference and true love. This _was_ how true love was meant to feel.

"Yuuu...gi..." She moaned his name and arched her back, clenching her well toned, core muscles around him.

He took a sharp intake of breath and trembled... "God.. Anzu!" His back arched, his face scrunched up in a mixture of pain and ecstasy. "That feels so good, but if you do that again I won't last!" He wanted that sweet pain so badly but knew it would tip him over the edge.

"Do what?" She purred teasingly, squeezing again.

"Oh Fuck!" It was the only time she ever heard him swear. He started panting as he struggled in vain to prevent himself from losing it.. "I can't, I'm gonna..." Their bodies trembled and tensed, pounding faster and arching into one another as they both climaxed.

Such was the power of her first real orgasm, Anzu thought she might die, so she clung onto him, her hands gripping the flesh of his buttocks – she had always dreamed of squeezing that cute little butt of his when she watched him duel.

He held her, not letting her fall until she let out a contented sigh and her body relaxed.

Letting out his own soft moan of contentment, he allowed the last little spasms of pleasure leave his body. They both laughed as they felt the little tremors leaving them.

They stayed like this for several minutes, breathing in and out, rapidly at first, but gradually steadying as they came down from their euphoria.

::::::::::::

Anzu lay with her head resting on Yugi's chest. She had not realised how tired she was and the gentle rise and fall of his chest soon lulled her to sleep.

Yugi's body clock was still feeling a little out of sync. Usually, he would have fallen asleep quickly after such glorious sex, but it was around one in the afternoon in Japan and he was wide awake. He was quite contented though, and was happy to just relax with his beautiful Anzu sleeping in his arms.

Eventually, his contentment allowed him to slowly drift off, until he too was snoring away gently.

::::::::::::

The week went by far too quickly and it was soon time for Yugi to go home.

They had not really heard much more about Peter, apart from that he had been granted bail on the condition that he remained at his parents house and did not come anywhere near Juilliard or Anzu.

Once the police had finished their investigation, it would go to court and he would probably be jailed.

If this was a game, then, as usual, Yugi had won! But he had mixed feelings about his victory. He should never have allowed the situation in the first place. If only he had told Anzu how he felt, she might never have become involved with Peter in the first place, and he would never have had to win her back. It was cheap of him to think of Anzu as the prize! He dare not voice this to her, she would think him as bad as Peter!

As the call to board his flight flashed up on the screen, they said their emotional goodbyes, with promises to never let anything come between them again.

"I guess I had better go," he said sadly.

"Have a safe journey." Anzu wrapped her arms around him and kissed him so passionately, he thought he might pass out. It was blissful and neither of them cared who saw them kissing.

They lost count of the number of times they said 'I love you' to one another. And they didn't even care when a newspaper reporter; scouring the airport terminal for celebrities, photographed them kissing.

"That will be all over the papers tomorrow," Anzu giggled.

"I don't care," said Yugi. "I want the world to know that you're my girl." He gave the reporter a thumbs up, kissed Anzu one more time and then hurried through to departures.

Anzu stood with watery eyes but still managed a smile as she watched him go. The moment he left, the reporter came over to ask her for a few words.

She proudly told them her name and confirmed that she and Yugi were a couple.

::::::::::::

When Peter's court case was heard, Anzu was relieved that she did not have to face him. She had declined to press charges against him for the violence she had suffered, on the condition that she would not be required to appear in court in person. The psychologist spoke to her and offered her support. There were self help groups set up for women who had suffered at the hands of abusive partners, but Anzu was not interested; she had Yugi and she had her dancing - she just wanted to forget about it.

Her statement detailing the drugs she had stumbled across in his room was read out via video link.

Peter was charged with a fifth-degree felony, and since it was his first conviction, he was sentenced to two years in prison.

He was expelled from Juilliard.

The school was a much happier place and Anzu felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had her Yugi and the world knew they were a couple. Their future together was going to be perfect.

The End.

* * *

 **A big thank you to my readers. I hope you enjoyed.**

 **Please review.**


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